Family Bonds: Book 2 of Sista
by Blackstar1979
Summary: This is the sequel of Sista. Mark and Paula are married and expecting. Angel and Joshua are expecting and planning their wedding. Even in death Sophia's bad choices plague the entire family. Will the past rip apart the bonds that have been forged or make them stronger?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 Family Bonds**

_Disclaimer: WWE Superstars belong to the company not me. Also any mention of musical professionals, whether it is a single entertainer or a band are the sole property of their company or entertainer classification. I'm just letting them play in my mental sand box I promise that I will return them when I'm finished... The other names are mine- all mine ^_^_

Jonathon heard though industry gossip that Angel's friend had stopped producing her work. He decided that he still wanted her to Join LEGNA whether it be as an artist or not, but this would be his last time to ask her. If she refused or backed out he would not ask again. He and Joshua had a few meetings and Joshua had thrown a few new ideas his way. Jonathon sends a letter to Angel requesting her presence at his new home in Dallas saying he would arrive shortly after she did and that they must talk. She called him upon receiving it and asked what it was about he told her business.

Since he'd given her a key Angel sits in her father's condo in Dallas. Jonathon had not said this was to be a one on one meeting only so Joshua sat on the sofa. Angel looks around. Her father really didn't have a lot of furnishings. She stands and looks at the few pictures he'd put up. He and Gloria his business partner stood together for a promo shot in front of the Ireland LEGNA building. Angel moves on to the picture over the fire place. It was a picture of her as a child sitting on Jonathon in a studio. Joshua walks over and says "wow how old were you there?"

Angel smiles at the picture "I think I was like 3 or 4 my dad must have been getting irritated at the camera man. He's smiling but his eyes were flat he was about to snap."

Jonathon walks in and greets them. "I didn't frame that photo for a shot of myself. For a long time it was the only picture I had of you. When Chase sent me your first letter he placed this picture in it." Jonathan pulls his wallet and shows her a 6th grade photo of herself. Joshua asks can he get a copy for his office saying this was about two years before they first met. Angel tells him no as she pushes the picture back in her father's hand.

"What gives I have other pictures of you in my office." Angel tells him that she wanted a picture of him, she reveals that the only pictures she had of him was ones they'd taken together or his high school senior pic. "Okay, so if I can find you a decent picture of me pre high school can I get a copy of that one?" she agrees with a huge smile on her face. "Wow, it is like trading cards with you. I'm sure I've given you more than just my senior pic." She says no because she would have put it in her photo album. "Babe, that's not a photo album if you're talking about the 7 inch thick binder you have on your entertainment center. It is a history of every person you have ever come in contact with in life." Angel tells him that she only put certain people in her book.

Jonathon says "Angel I've asked you here for two reasons. The first and foremost reason is I apologize for overreacting. I would like for you to not only join LEGNA as a performer but also, I want you to run this business one day so even if you no longer want to be a performer give it some thought don't give me an answer that you feel pressured to give." Angel goes to say something. He puts a finger on her lips "No, snap judgment does not work for us." he moves his finger and looks at the floor shaking his head. "I can't do that again. No matter what your choice is, know this I'll love you as I always have and always will." Jonathon walks to his desk and pulls a contract off of his fax machine. He sighs and hands it to her. "Look it over or have Sophie go over it with you and give me an answer when you're ready." Angel reads the contract puts it on the table and asks him for a pen. Joshua hands her one and she signs the contract. "Welcome to LEGNA"

Angel puts the contract in her father's hands she looks up into his eyes and quietly says "I want this to work. I didn't know how hard it would be not to have it until it wasn't going to be a choice. I won't let you down." Jonathon reaches out a hand to shake hers. Angel shakes his hand then hugs him. He hugs her back. He says he noticed she did not sign Angelic Impression. Angel bites her lip." I've been thinking about this for a while and when it was good, that was great, but I don't want to keep that name. Joshua and a few others have said that I could go solo. It was because of my lead role in Angelic Impression that made everything go wrong. Maybe band lead isn't one of my strong suits and I can't go through that again."

Joshua looks at Angel then meets Jonathon's eyes. "Hey don't go taking my words and twisting them to fit something that has nothing to do with your ability to lead a band. You did it for almost nine years what happened with you and Scott was you trying not hold him back if he had a better deal. How were you supposed to know he was a fucking liar? He needed someone to blame for his fuck ups in life and you were it. If the only reason you want to go solo is because of fear, you won't be happy."

Angel notices the look shared between her father and Joshua she knew they had been having meetings ever since he'd retuned after seeing about his father. He was right again her fear had almost fucked up this chance to work under her father's label and she would not put that look back in her father eyes. This was a second chance all around. "Okay yes I understand what you are saying at least I will be able to screen the band better."

"Aye this time as it says in your contract Joshua or I will be present for interviews. I do have one more suggestion. I did not feel it was appropriate without you being a part of the company. Joshua had a very well thought out plan that I think he should be the one to run it past you because it would involve intellectual property. Joshua?" Angel gives him a look. Jonathon points at Joshua

Joshua rubbed a hand over his face. "Of course this probably sounded better in my head on my way back home on the plane, but here it goes. Just like you wanted someone with name power when you first started it would not hurt Personal Touch to have some of the same. I've did the math and babe as great as Jonathon is about putting bands on the scene his contacts with bigger names has been the back bone of his success. I would not mind going the route we are right now opening for larger names it's the natural order of things but on my way back I felt that I had to at least ask. We sing well together please give it some thought Candy, Deon, and I would love it if you joined Personal Touch." She asked if he had really spoken to the other band members. "I know why you ask and yes, after getting Deon out of his parent's house last week for practice I spoke to them separately. Like I said give it some thought." Angel says she will. "That's all I ask." She asks about his position for a drummer and had he filled it yet saying she'd make up her mind after he had a full band. "Not yet I'm holding auditions tonight at the club. Want to come with?" he notices her hesitation but she tells him sure. The fact that she didn't let her hesitation lead her answer made him smile. Jonathon says he will be present as well. That seems to take some of the nervousness out of her gaze. He leans in and kisses her on the cheek whispering in her ear. "I'm proud of you."

Later that night at the Davenport Joshua, Angel and Jonathon sit in the front row waiting for the auditions to continue. His sound man walks in says in his deep southern tone "The name is Vash Williams" he sits at the drum set and points at Candy she starts one of their usual songs.

Joshua smirks knowing his sound man is just kidding around. He is about to put a stop to it and tell him to get the real next person to audition until Vash starts playing. When the song ends Joshua is so shocked he is speechless. Jonathon stands "Hidden talent you had right here under your nose." He says to Joshua and starts clapping along with the other audition seekers in the audience.

Joshua stands and walks up on stage. "Vash, I had no idea, when did you learn to play like that, man?"

Vash stands up runs his hands through his shoulder length black and greying hair and walks around the drum set. "I used to be in a band that did nothing but ACDC and Guns N' Roses cover songs. It fell apart about 20 years ago we all grew up and I thought I was done with music. I'm around it for 13 hours a day here, so I started practicing again just kidding around. I wasn't going to try out but Candy caught me one night and well you know her. She went cheerleader on my ass and well here I am."

"You think you know someone then they come and mess up your whole perception. Okay you move to level two as you know we have like three other drummers and someone to play lead for me when I am singing." Joshua looks at Angel when he says it and then tells her not to say a word with a big smile on his face.

Angel smirks at him and says "hungry why wait?" He tells her he'll get her later. She just smiles at him and says "Promises. Promises." They call the next few drummers up but only two of the seven that tried made it to Joshua's level 2. Before Joshua has level two he wants to hear from the people that are trying out for lead guitar. A female shreds like there's no tomorrow. Troy Thunder walks out on stage waves at Angel. Angel stands up "I've seen enough I'll be in your office." Troy walks to the edge of the stage as Angel is about to pass to the back hall. She stops walking meets his gaze, turns around and says to Joshua "On second thought I'm leaving will you walk me to my truck?" Angel wasn't going to do this shit again. Troy had told her he loved her. He'd trapped her in the corner she'd freaked out and escaped the trap of his body holding her hands over her head against the wall just to be back handed to the floor.

Joshua looks at Angel then up at Troy. He thought he'd seen the guy before he was her protector against Braden. He looks back at Angel something wasn't right. He walks her to her truck, before she opens the door he leans on it with arms crossed. "So I have heard you tell me how he would try to keep Braden off your ass. What's up? You're leaving, more importantly your running, why?"

Angel tells him about her last meeting with Troy at Ivey Mansion. Joshua looks pissed off. "Joshua I never thought he would lose it, but he did, and I'm not going to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I'm not running, this is me giving him space because if he is going to be your lead when your singing I'm not going to be anywhere near him. He's probably where Scott got the tranquilizer gun from. His looked like a real gun and I thought he was going to shoot us. I ended up shooting him with it." Angel rubs her arms she was shivering. Thinking about the feeling she felt when she'd thought she'd killed Troy with his own gun. Glenn had reassured her that he was just asleep.

Vash walks outside and over to them. "The kid in there he's good not as good as you but with a little training he could come close." Vash shrugs Angel rubs her arms Vash asks her "Are you chilly?"

"I'll be fine once I get in the truck." Joshua gives her a look. "Hear me out please I'm not letting fear guide my future but common sense and not wanting to repeat anything just with a different asshole isn't on my to do list. Troy is a great guitarist but I'm not going down that road again. With Scott he could have had weapons with Troy I know he owns weapons."

Joshua curtly shakes his head no. "What, you think it's that hard of a decision you or him?" Vash tells Joshua if he wanted peace in the valley pick his wife. "You two know me. I'm about 2 seconds from going in there and ripping his face off. Angel, if he says anything to you. I want to know about it." Joshua says through clenched teeth. He turns on Vash "Stay out here with her I need to go take out the trash." Joshua storms back into the club. Vash just shakes his head. Joshua enters the club and walk towards the stage. "Troy Thunder, don't get comfortable." He watches Troy roll his eyes. "Get off my stage and get the hell out of here. I'll only ask you once."

Troy jumps down off the stage in to Joshua's face. Jonathon walks over and tells Troy "There is no win for you here boy-o just walk away." Troy looks up at Jonathon and leaves. "I am going to assume there is no love lost between him and Angel. He is an ex of hers?" Joshua walks over and goes through the audition applications he plucks two and crumples them up throwing them in the trash. He turns back to Jonathon and tells him what Angel had told him about Troy. "She had nothing to fear he would not have made it." Joshua asks how he could be so sure. "Troy is too much of just a cover performer he latches on to a style and will not relinquish it. That can cause issues especially since the person he is imitating works for me. He has no original technique. I like cover bands as you well know but if you had of done a cover the night you auditioned I don't know if I would have taken you seriously. Has Angel left for the evening?"

Outside Angel gets in her truck Troy storms out the door of the Davenport he looks over at her. Vash had got in and sat in the passenger seat. Troy walks towards her truck Angel starts it up. Vash looks at her as she looks back to back out of the space. Meeting her eyes he says "Look kiddo Joshua asked me to stay out here with you. Just stay calm."

Angel looks back at where Troy is "He's stopping at his car maybe he'll just leave" Troy put his guitar in his trunk and walks towards her truck. Angel hits the power windows and rolls them up. Vash gets out of the truck and stands in front of it making himself seen.

Troy flicks his 36 inches of deep brown hair out of his face and ties it in a low ponytail at the back of his head. As he walks over nods at Vash then looks back at Angel through the now rolled up window. He taps on the window. "What are you, her bodyguard?" Vash asks did she need one. "No I just want to talk to her that's it." Vash says it doesn't appear that she wishes to talk to him. Troy pulls his phone and calls her while looking at her. When he stuck his hand near his belt clip to unclasp his phone her eyes widened. He sighs and watches her answer her phone.

Angel hits a button to record the call. "This call is being recorded just so you know." She shows him the huge red light icon on her phone.

"What the hell do you think I'm going to say to you? I guess I deserve this level of trust. Anyway Angel I thought I was applying for your new band but I guess you withdrew the audition."

"I'm not going to sit here and lie to you there is no way in hell I would have selected you."

"Now you're just being mean so what did you tell the band lead in there? He came back in and put me out. I don't mind you not letting me perform with you. I let my feelings for you cloud my judgment and for that I'm sorry but Angel you know I'm good. Do not get me blackballed in this area."

"I sent your name to Scott Stapp from Creed like I promised I'd do. Didn't he contact you? I'm not out to get you I just don't want to work with someone I can't trust. "

"Yeah he did and you know what he told me?" she says no "he told me his offer was to you not me and for me to practice more and he'd think about it. I told him to go fuck himself. The LEGNA guy in there told me to walk away. Did you speak to him as well?" She says no "I believe you. Ok as long as you're not purposely trying to keep me out of the business we don't have an issue."

"Troy the CEO of LEGNA is not a cake walk he isn't dazzled by someone using Slash's old style. What Stapp said makes sense you are a great guitarist and just because you won't be in this band please don't blame me for not getting in there is no guarantee that you would have been selected."

"So your father has a thing against cover bands or just former members of Angelic Impression?"

Angel glares at him through the window and says "That's not fair he gave Scott Anthony a chance and it didn't go very well I'm hanging up now." Angel pushes end and throws her phone on the dash board. Troy steps closer to the truck knocking on the window when he tries to pull it open. Suddenly he is pulled backwards by his hair and slung away from the truck.

Jonathon had walked out to see if Angel was coming back in to listen to round 2 when he saw the drummer that was Joshua's sound man leaving the front of the truck walking towards Troy who was on the phone he walked silently up behind him to find out what was going on. The piss ant was taking pot shots at him for being her father. Troy tries to open Angel's door that was it. He grabbed the punk and slings him away from the truck. "Yes I'm her father and yes I have a problem with sneaky little bitching men pretending they really have fucking talent. To be perfectly honest you would not have been asked back anyway. Cover bands are fine but here is a tip, find a song that you play well and give it some original style that puts you apart from everyone else. Do you know how many times I've have heard that same damn solo over and over again. When you play and you are coming back up to cue you drop off. I can't fix that you need to work on it and I will refer you to another company. When you are ready send me a video of the changes fair enough?" Troy nods his head "If you send me that damn solo I will throw it away. Boy-o, walk away and stay away from my employees." Jonathon says baring his teeth in a ferociously evil grin.

Troy backs towards his car "Thanks that's all I wanted to know if you were making your judgment off of old shit then that's not cool but if my work is shit in this industry these days. I need to work on it. I won't send you the same song I played here tonight." He waves at Angel, gets in his car and drives off.

Vash walks over and tells Jonathon he would have handled the guy. "Of that I'm sure but I didn't want him to think his only issue was something that had to do with Angel and his past altercation. His work just needs too much work. He would not have made it past part 2. We have three shows to put together in two weeks." Jonathon turns to the truck and mouths "Am I invited?" Angel gets out of the truck. "I came out here originally to ask you if you were coming back in to listen to round 2 I thought he had left when I saw that he had not. My partner would say some of my polish slipped off. I'm Sorry if I embarrassed you."

"Dad you didn't embarrass me and yes. I'm just glad you gave him something to focus on besides me he asked me was I trying to get him blackballed from the industry in this area. I even told Joshua that Troy is good but I am not going to work with him I no longer trust him. I'm coming back in to see who lands a spot in Personal Touch."

Inside when Angel, Jonathon, and Vash returns Joshua plays guitar and the point of round two is to see who can keep up with his instruction. Vash volunteers to go last. Joshua stands down stage center and plays the female plays with him Joshua shreds she follows in the same tempo but keeps her signature style intact he plays faster and then slows it down and points at the drummer that was going against Vash The guy was fine but when Joshua told him faster the guy stops and ask why saying the song wasn't that damn fast. Vash drives his hands through his hair and walks up on stage. "Nick the reason doesn't matter but here it is. Joshua ends his songs fast to start the next one in the set so the last few seconds he might have you go faster so the tempo isn't thrown off especially if a faster song is to follow."

Joshua rolls his eyes and starts from the second to last verse the female keeps up and Nick plays faster when cued to do so. Jonathon gave the sign to stop and sighs "It's still a count of three just faster" Nick invites Jonathon to come and play it. Joshua tells him it's not Jonathon's job to play and he'd watch the tone if he were smart. "Stand to the side boy-o." Joshua tells him he has nothing to prove. Jonathon walks up on stage puts out his hand Nick passes the drum sticks to him. "I don't play I produce those that can." Jonathon hands the sticks to Vash. "Joshua, play your promo song Vash here will keep up correct?" By the end of the night Personal Touch had three new members Angel as second vocalist, Vash as the new drummer and Vivian Arrow as the new lead guitarist when Joshua was singing.

Authors Note: Happy reading please read, and review. End Note


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Making Adjustments**

Mark lies in his bed in the new house today he had to start getting ready to get back on the road. It was noon according to his phone. It had been a month and a half since the wedding. On the weekends having Janet and sometimes even Glenn Jr. out to the house was great. It kind of gave him a snapshot of how it would be when his other child arrived. He gets up knowing where Paula would be she got up earlier than he did. He walks out into the den and there she was sitting near a lamp reading what he knew would be her newspaper app. He walks up behind her bends down and kisses her placing his hand on her belly she was almost 14 weeks along.

"Hey honey you ready for lunch?" Paula grins at him as he sits beside her on the love seat. He asks did she want to go out for lunch. "Okay so the last time you asked about going somewhere for lunch we came back and there was construction underway." He smiles that devious smile of his. "Okay so what are you fixing, taking away, or adding to the house now?" He tells her that the camera system was ready to be installed and the master bathroom was set to be redone. "Mark I don't get it we bought this place and yeah I agreed we should do the nursery add on but honey when we came back from our honeymoon I barely recognized the house. How long is the bathroom going to take?" he says about a week. "Is this it? Or do you have more surprises on the way." He asks her what was wrong with making home improvements. "Mark we left a 4 bedroom on a quiet street and when we came back we now have a 6 bedroom with finished basement surrounded by an 8 foot privacy fence."

Mark stands up and paces the den. "Paula as far as the privacy fence, you know I'm all about safety and I don't know a thing about these people. You haven't been back here since childhood so you don't either." She says that's not true. She asks him did he not feel safe here. "I am starting to. Just a few more things have to be done." She sighs "What, hell I'm going back on the road and want you and Janet safe is that a crime?"

Janet walks into the room followed by her shadow Glenn Jr. "Morning y'all" Glenn Jr. crawled up on the love seat and stared at Paula he then looks at Mark and announces that he is a good boy. Mark tells Janet to get packed so they can head out and take lil man with her. "Are we still fixing lunch Mrs. P?" Paula looks at Mark he shrugs. Paula says that they all are going out for lunch. "YIPPY!" the kids both scream excitedly Janet and Glenn Jr. run back towards their bedrooms. Mark yells for them to stop running in the house.

Glenn Jr stops the moment Mark had finished yelling. Janet had made it to her room but he had not he now stands in the middle of the hall looking back with a fearfully expectant expression on his face. Mark asks what he would usually ask Janet "Is there a problem?" Glenn Jr. puts his finger in his mouth and shakes his head no. Mark turns to Paula with question in his gaze he was completely confused the kid was just standing there staring at him. Paula says it was because he yelled. He turns back to watch Glenn Jr still standing where he'd stopped. "Come here Glenny" the child walks back in the den and stands in front of Mark who is now sitting on the loveseat. "Uncle Mark is sorry for yelling okay." Mark reaches out to take Glenny's hand out of his mouth. The boy tensed and closed his eyes as he let his hand be taken from his mouth he drops his hands to his sides. "Glenny just don't run in the house I don't need you getting hurt okay sport." His little answer was a very quiet yes sir. "Go get your street clothes on and ask Janet to help you if you need anything okay. The same subdued answer was given as Glenny backed away and then turned around and slowly walked to his room. He turns the knob and disappears in the bedroom. He turns around to close the door but thinks better of it and walks on into his room.

Mark and Paula goes to get dressed Paula packs a few things and tells Mark since the bathroom was being re done and he was going back on the road she was going to go to Grandville and see if she could stay at Angel and Sophie's place until it was done. There is a knock on their bedroom door. Mark makes sure they are both fully dressed as he opens the door Janet comes in looks under the bed and then walks to the closet that Paula had just closed. "What did you lose a sandal or something?" Janet turns around in a circle and says she couldn't find Glenny. Mark walks out of the room calling him. He heads into Glenny's room and the door was still open. It was a play room with a bed basically. Mark checked the closet and no Glenny. Janet was getting upset. Paula comes in the room and opens the toy chest that looked like a 4 foot wide and 1 foot deep football and in the bottom laid Glenny he looks up and covers his face when she reached for him. Paula withdrew her hand and told Glenny that he didn't have to hide and that no one in the house would hurt him. Janet walks over and puts outs her hand Glenny stands up and tries to crawl back over the side. Janet picked him up before he toppled the thing over and sat him on the floor. Mark walks over Glenny walks behind Janet. Janet looks behind her and then back up at her dad. "Glenn Jr come here" Mark says as he gets on one knee Glenny walks from behind Janet. "Where you hiding from me?" he looks at the floor. "No. I'm up here look at me." Mark says as he tilts Glenn Jr's face up with a finger under his chin. "Little partner you don't have to hide from me I'm not going to hurt you okay." He looks over at Janet.

"Glenny my dad would never hurt you. Look at me I bet I do way more than you do and I'm still good. No more hiding you scared us do you like scaring us?" Glenny starts crying saying he's sorry and wipes his eyes. Janet hugs him and he soon stops crying. They all head out to Mark's truck. After lunch Mark drops Janet and Glenn Jr off at Megan's house.

"Janet is really good with him." Paula says as she now drives Mark to the airport. He agrees saying Janet told him that she was practicing being a big sister. "She's sweet she's going to be a fine big sis. So how long will you be gone?" Paula hated to ask because she hated having to share him with the world. The almost 2 months she had him to herself, was wonderful. Now he was going back on the road and to check on a few of his business ventures. He asked her again did she want to come. "No I think me and the baby would like to stay on the ground." they arrive at the drop off point for the airport Mark tells her that it would be about 5 weeks before the company came back this way but if she needed anything at all he was just a phone call away. He leans over and kisses her they tell each other at the same time to please be careful. "I will honey call me when you get to the hotel."

"Yes darlin I'll call you. Did you get in touch with the girls?" Paula tells him yes and that she was heading over there after she dropped him off. They kiss again and Mark takes his luggage and waves at her as she drives out of the parking lot.

Paula drives back to Grandville South and heads towards Ivey Mansion. As she is turning into the cul-de-sac the guard waves her down. She powers down the window. He sees it's her and waves her on. Paula gets out and hears someone playing the backbeat to a song very slowly. She walks up on the front porch and looks over Joshua and Angel where playing guitar together. He'd play and she played base. Paula had heard Angel tell someone that she couldn't play any instrument she seemed to be doing fine following Joshua. When they stopped Paula claps and says "Well little girl you lied to me I recognized the song so you can't be that bad. It was on your last CD." Angel smiled and said Joshua taught her all she knows. "Well don't let me stop you."

Joshua gets up and stores his guitar back in its case. He asked Angel did she want him to takes hers back upstairs. She tells him "Yes please, and thank you Babe" as she hands him her guitar. When he walks in the house Paula sits on the porch swing claiming it got lower. "So what were you saying about Mark and having no bathroom for a week? Your call kept cutting in and out."

Paula sighs "I don't think Mark is happy with the move. When we got the house it was a cute little 4 bedroom. When we came back he told me he had a surprise for me and when we turned on our street we were met with an 8 foot privacy fence that he had to call Logan just to get the new code that went with it. He added two more rooms and a basement. Now he's redoing the master bath. He says it's because he wants to keep us safe. I think he's trying to rebuild the Ranch. When I mentioned the fence he got defensive. He told me since I had not lived there for a time I didn't know anything about the people there anymore and that is just not true. I just don't want to argue with him. I like the house the way it was because it reminded me of my old house. I heard him talking to Logan about buying the empty house on the right of us and extending the fence."

Not wanting to argue with Paula Angel saw what Mark was doing. "I don't think he dislikes the move but with all the stuff that happened with Janet it's a new area for him. Has he had the camera system reinstalled?" Paula nods her head saying it was coming with the new bathroom. Angel smiles "Mark is surely part McBride, this is a major case of impulse buying I think he has me beat he is impulse buying security features and major construction for his new home. I think he will calm down soon. My dad says he may have another surprise I know he isn't happy with the condo."

Paula couldn't imagine Jonathon in a condo after seeing what he lived in in Dublin. "I can imagine why as you know Jonathon volunteered the use of his Dublin home for our honeymoon. The damn thing is massive. So is LEGNA so you might want to watch out you'll go to visit him and pass the building cause if he builds on to it and makes it half as large as the Dublin office you won't recognize it."

Angel realizes she hadn't told anyone the news about being back in LEGNA "Well I won't be visiting anymore." Paula asks why automatically assuming Jonathon had banded her and demanding to talk some sense into him. "Oh, no I meant that I won't be visiting because I now work there. He's giving me a second chance." Angel says with a huge smile. "I can hardly believe it myself. I think Joshua spoke to him whatever the reasoning I'm just glad my dad was willing to give me another shot."

"That's great sooo Angelic Impression reopens when? Janet will be so excited." Paula watches Angel's way to expressive eyes. Angel breaks eyes contact all together looking out at the lawn. Joshua walks out of the house Paula doesn't acknowledge his presence and Angel must have not heard him walk on to the porch.

As she watches Sophie drive into the yard Angel says. "I signed as Angel not Angelic Impression. I can't do that anymore. That band name has got me in more trouble that I care to recount. I get what I want this time not what makes the most sense for people that didn't really think I knew what I was doing. The reason I was going to keep the name was because I was going to rebuild it and hope that I picked the right people this time. When I signed the contract knowing that this was a second chance to do what I like. I treated it as such. I won't cue anyone ever again in those positions under that band name. That's why Scott was so pissed off because I replaced him but I thought I was doing him a favor, I let him out of his contract then Troy shows up expecting to be a part of my band from an audition I'd set up. I gave Joshua the names of the other two original members of Angelic Impression because I don't trust any of them anymore." Paula asks so what was the new band name. Angel looks at her and smiles a genuine smile. "Personal Touch it's a great way to do this because the band members wanted me in it I know them, well most of them and the other person I've never worked with it's truly a new start. The best part is I get to work with Joshua."

Sophie walks up and greets everyone including Joshua who is waving for her not to say anything to him. Angel turns around and sees him. He stands in the door watching her. She was 12 weeks along now around the same time she'd lost the first baby. From what he'd heard there were other factors involved. She asks why he is staring at her like that. "huh, oh nothing babe." He walks over sits beside his Angel as Sophie walks in the house and Paula follows her saying she had to find the bathroom. "Hey" She turns to him "I'm glad you're happy with what direction we're going. Professionally, I was kind of nervous about asking you." Angel gives him a sure you were look. "No seriously because I know that you could have just started where you left off. I really started thinking about asking you to join when you were writing out all the security measures that you would require just being on stage again. I think that's why I was such an ass when you said you couldn't perform with us."

Angel held out her hand he takes it and they hold hands "Joshua you thought I had used you. I didn't make it any better because I was afraid to tell you then why my decision had changed. When Scott said that Candy was comforting you I just knew that if the stuff he was saying had made you doubt me. That he could break us up. I felt trapped inside my own head with nowhere to turn." Angel looks away they hadn't spoke about their disagreement they had out in the hall of LEGNA.

Joshua kisses her hand and squeezes it. Angel looks back at him. "The minute you walked out of the building after telling me if I believed it than I didn't know you. I knew you hadn't used me or the band. I spent that entire session wondering what you were about to say. As for your belief that Scott, Candy or anyone for that matter, could convince me to break it off with you. That is where you don't know me, if you think it was even an option. Angel leaving you would be like leaving a very vital part of me behind." Angel tells him she feels the same way. She stands up and sits in his lap. He kisses her and tucks his hands in her hoodie pockets rubbing her tummy with her hands on top of his. He speaks to the baby. Angel asks what he wanted to do for his birthday. He goes still she looks back at him. Joshua really had never celebrated his birthday after moving in with the Davenports and almost being thrown from his bedroom window on his 13th birthday by his adoptive siblings. He would always find something else to do. Mrs. Davenport tried to throw him a party the next year but he begged her not to. "I...I don't know. I mean it's just a day" he takes his hand out of her pockets and she gets up.

"It's not just a day. I was going to try to throw you a surprise party but I didn't know if you had plans. I know in the past you were usually out of town on your birthday." He looks uncomfortable. "So by your statement is it safe to assume that you had not made plans?" She smiles down at him.

"Angel, just drop it. Please. I don't need a party I don't want a party. I have been able to avoid that shit ever since I was 13. I would leave town because of stuff like this." She told him it would be different. "When I turned 21 my college roommate tried to throw me a party. My dumb ass thought why not. Half the people didn't know who the hell I was and the topper of my night was avoiding being swung on by my drunken roommate since all the guys there were his fucking friends I left. By my own design I don't associate with a lot of people. So who would you invite?"

He was angry his crystalline blue eyes told it before his question was even out. In that arrogant tone of challenge he used. Angel had wanted to throw him a party it didn't have to be a rave or anything like that, just a few of the people they both knew. Sighing she closes her eyes to prevent them from tearing. She had no right to be upset it was his birthday his choice. Biting her lip she says quickly. "I'm sorry I've piss you off. I assure you it wasn't my intent I don't regret I asked. At least I know how you feel." Jonathon walks up greets them both and asks is Paula here yet Angel nods yes, and excuses herself.

When Johnathon steps out of Angel's path she just continues in the house not looking at him. He looks at the door after she'd closed it very quietly which she usually did when she'd rather slam it. Jonathon walks over and sits across from Joshua "Me or you?" Joshua raises his hand as he looks out across the yard. "You want to talk about it?" Joshua says there is nothing to talk about, gets up, walks out to his car and drives off. Jonathon walks in the house as Angel grabs her keys and heads for the door he asks did she want to talk about what had her so upset. She says she is fine and hits the remote access button to unlock her truck doors she hits the button multiple times when it doesn't work she breaks down crying. He walks over and takes the remote out of her hand. "Shhh It's not broken Honeypot you had it upside down you were locking it. Come sit down where are you trying to get to?" She says she was going to find Joshua "Chasseing Joshua down the road isn't going to fix whatever your issue is." She claims he wouldn't understand and he would probably agree with Joshua anyway. "Aye because you have witnessed this so much from me in the past, Try Me." She tells him "You're upset that he doesn't want to celebrate his birthday, or that he does not want a party?"

"I don't know, I keep telling myself that I don't even have a reason or the right to feel like this but I do. I just wanted to do something special for him. Now I've made him angry enough to leave."

"Come here" he hugs his girl and says. "Joshua's leaving had nothing to do with you he perceived me as sticking my nose in his business and he walked away from me. He knows your upset and truth be told you have a right to feel any way you do. The thing is what are you going to do about it?" She asks him to please not say anything to Joshua about her telling him. "Angel what you say to me is between you and I until further action is requested I will say nothing that was said to me. Now what are you going to do about the way you feel? Are you going to session today?"

Angel gets up "Yes I'm going to session and as for what I'm going to do about my feelings it's his birthday his decision. I just wanted it to be special for him."

Mark arrives at his hotel he is in Nashville for the night. He calls Paula "Hey darling how's everything going?" She tells him everything is fine. 'Okay so it won't be a major surprise I spoke to Logan and…" She sighs "What's wrong?"

Paula says "Mark, if you wanted to stay in Houston you should have because that house is never going to be the ranch." There she'd said it. He said nothing he was so quiet she thought he hung up. "Hello" he says he was listening. He then asks her what she meant. "Angel says you'll stop soon that your kind of impulse buying things for the house, but if you have been talking to Logan, major construction is about to happen again. What else have you found to do to that house?" He says he was thinking of redoing the kitchen and adding a breakfast nook. He also says it wasn't impulse buying anything. He asks hadn't they had this conversation before. "sure and you did then what you're doing now you jumped on the defensive and started talking about keeping us safe and asking was it a crime. To answer your question no installing a security system with the camera system and even the fence is secure enough. Adding bedrooms and basements and making the bathroom larger or whatever you're doing to it has absolutely nothing to do with securing the house. Please stop, just stop I like the kitchen the way it is. When we left, hearing Logan slam that hammer in the wall was like here is something else, Mark don't like about the house that we supposedly picked out together." She sniffs and blames it on her allergies.

He heard the shake to her voice he quickly mutes the phone sighs and unmutes it. "Paula the bathroom is a safety measure you know the large window in there that you said no one could see through. A few nights ago I walked around the house to take out the trash you were in the shower. Wanna know how I know?" She says she told him she would be in the shower. "Nope, Looking out of the window it looks out of focused looking in it I was able to make out your hair color, your body type, and when you turned to wash you face under the spray I could see you but you could not see me. By it being slightly darker outside than in the bathroom it takes away from the out of focus affect. When I turned to go back to the front of the house I saw the upstairs curtain next door move. I'm not used to people being that damn close. So at least give me the bathroom because I'll be damned if I'm going to be on the road and have some weirdo watching my wife and kid take showers. I'm taking out the window and putting a tub covering over it. Logan gave me the idea my first instinct was to go knock on the door. Find who that bedroom belonged to, and hang them upside down if it was a kid, or beat the shit out of him if it was man. Now what I'm about to say please listen to me. That house next door with the Peeping Tom is off limits Janet is not to go over there. I don't care if it was your best from friend from childhood as far as I'm concerned they don't say shit to me and I'll return the favor. I'd like it if you stayed your distance from over there but you a grown woman. The kitchen was just a thought nothing has been signed."

Paula sits back on the couch in the den of Ivey Mansion. She'd been pacing the floor listening to him tell her why he did what he did to the house. "Mark I'm sorry I just didn't want you to be unhappy with the house. I didn't know about the bathroom I'm so glad Janet opted to take her shower in the morning. As far as, me knowing the family that lives there? Yes and I'll talk to them." Mark asks who the bedroom belonged to. "He is an adult but he is harmless he shouldn't have been trying to watch me or anyone I will tell his mother."

"His MOTHER, How about just stay away from over there. Why the hell would you believe he is harmless? That's the first shit people say when talking about fucking pedophiles or stalkers. Oh I thought he was harmless. Is he registered?"

"No, would you cut it out? Alex is in a wheelchair. He's paralyzed from the waist down and he is what used to be called moderately mentally handicapped I don't know what his condition is called now. He got hit by a car while running from a dog when he was about 7 the fact that he woke from it was a miracle. He was in a coma for more than 4 months and brain damage occurred. I'm glad you didn't go over there raising hell his parents have to be in their 80s by now. Like I said I'll tell his parents." Mark says he still don't want Janet over there. "That's fine and removing the window altogether removes Alex for watching us." Paula changed the subject and they end the conversation on a lighter note.

Author's Note: Please read and review. End Note


	3. Chapter 3 Enter the Btch

Chapter 3 Enter the B*tch

Joshua walks into the Davenport he is irritated. It showed when he started session. "Let's go" Candy asked was Angel coming? "I guess, I don't know, can we start please." Vivian Arrow walks in. Joshua turned on her "Nice of you to show, we start at 4." Joshua sings one of his newest songs he gives the sign for the band to speed up. He then closes the song. Grabbing his guitar he starts to play, Vivian thought he was cueing her to play his echo. He plays faster, Vash and Deon keep tempo Candy plays and shakes her head. Vivian smiles back at Candy, winks, and plays faster she walks in Joshua's way. He walks forward not seeing her and bumped into her. A screech is heard as she falls over. "What the hell were you doing?" Joshua reaches out to help her up. She takes his hand and he pulls her to her feet.

Blue eyes meet Blue eyes as she smirks and says "Sorry boss, I guess I got too close. Thanks for the lift." Joshua let's her hand go and tells her to please stay behind him. He walks out to where he usually stands and tells her that she wasn't supposed to come past mid center stage. "That leaves you down stage all alone." She couldn't keep the cheesy smile off her face. They were almost the same height. She was blonde and he had light brown hair to his shoulders. He tells her if she is playing that means he is singing more than likely he'll be singing with Angel. "Oh the red head." Vivian tilts her head to the side "looks like she's late for the party." He tells her the red head has a name. "My bad Boss man I'll address her as Angel from now on. Are we cool?" Joshua tells her yeah and starts another song.

Angel walks into the club and stops. Up on stage Joshua was playing and Vivian stood next to him. They almost looked to be back to back. Vivian then smiles at her. Candy rolled her eyes. Angel walks closer to the stage and it was an illusion Vivian was actually standing feet away from him he was down stage center and she was center stage right. Joshua had taken off his top shirt. When he ends the song. Vivian tells her she's late and that they started at 4. Joshua rolled his eyes. He tells the band to take 5. Setting his guitar down, he walks to the edge of the stage, jumps down in front of her. Knowing what he was about to do, Angel steps back so he won't land on her and says "I'm sorry I'm late."

"Just don't make it a habit." Joshua says as he takes her hand and guides her up the stage steps. She tells him she had to find the email with which location they were going to be using. His irritation swarmed around him as he snaps "So you thought I would have had you drive all the way to Dallas by yourself. DO you hear yourself?"

Vivian smiles as she stands just on the inside of the curtain listening. Candy and Deon come out of the vending area and catch her snooping on Joshua and Angel out on stage. Candy walks up and whispers it's not nice to snoop on people. "Candy, you know what is nice? Minding your own business and staying out of mine. Looks like boss man needs saving." Vivian walks out on stage as Angel is about to say something and says "Okay let's get this show on the road so we can get it on the road." Angel walks down stage and Joshua follows. He tells Angel Viv had a point. Vivian smiles at Angel when she looks back at her. So boss man had given her a nickname nice she thinks. Joshua starts the song Not While I'm Around. Angel stands ramrod straight when they changes songs she sings with him. He ends session and says while staring at Angel that the next session was going to be at the studio. Vivian asks Joshua could he take her home. He asked how she got there she tells him she walked but it was late now and she didn't feel like getting mugged.

All look at Joshua he didn't like the scrutiny especially from Angel. "What? Would you rather me tell her no go risk her life walking to who knows where with a target the size of a guitar on her back? I've taken Candy home before and you didn't look at me like this, what gives?"

Angel blinks at his tone and says "Your right, I'm just batting a thousand with you today I'll see you later." Angel power walks out to her truck gets in, slams the door and burst into tears. She'd held it together between the song, and him being mad at her and now this guitarist was toying with her. Candy knocks on the window Angel wipes her face and powers down the window.

Seeing that Angel had been crying, Candy steps closer so that Angel is hidden when Joshua and Viv walk out of the club heading towards Joshua's car. "Hey since Viv lives in Grandville North you totally don't have to but could you take me home? Deon is going to ride with Joshua so he won't have to ride back alone." When Angel says sure Candy says "Thanks, roll up your window so she can't see you." Angel powers up the window and in seconds Candy is sitting in the passenger seat. "Do you feel like ice cream I'll buy" Angel says she didn't have to do that. Candy says "I know but I think after tonight and having to deal with the Kelly Bundy look alike, and Joshua and his mood swings we deserve Ice cream. That line she threw at you was what he told her when she walked in 10 minutes late."

Angel pulls out and says "I think there is a diner that stays open all night. I don't feel like going home right now any way." Candy tells Angel the stuff she missed before she got there how Joshua knocked Viv on her ass for getting in his way. Angel looks alarmed. She explained he bumped into her and she took the most dramatic nose dive ever. "Wow so what did Joshua do?" when they get to the diner they take a seat and Candy fills Angel in on what happened up until she got there. "I don't know her and from what I suspect I witnessed tonight I don't think I'm going to like her all that much, but it could just be that my emotions are all over the place here lately."

Joshua drives, Deon is sitting in the back because he lost the game of rock, paper, or scissors for riding shot gun. Vivian smiles and turns on the radio. One of Angelic Impression's songs is on the radio she makes a face and turns the station. Joshua looks at her and tells her to not touch his radio. He hits the button to switch back to the song. His phone plays Bossy he really had to change that damn ring tone for Sophie. He grabs the phone off his belt clip and tries to slide the armor off. "OH Shit Watch the road." Vivian screams as she snatches his phone Joshua looks up and swerves back in his lane just in time not to hit a car.

"Hello, He's Busy." she then presses end. Joshua yells at her asking her why she would answer his fucking phone. "You seemed to have your hands full. You don't multitask very well do you?" he asks for his phone she hands it to Deon who hands it back to Joshua. He gets her home and Deon helps her with her guitar.

Joshua calls Sophie back as he is waiting on Deon to come back to the car. "Sophie, will you listen to me everything is fine, what did you call me for? What, she's not home yet? Okay, well I know Candy rode with her. No that was my guitarist. She was out of breath because I almost ran into a car head on, believe me sex was the furthest thing from my mind right then. I'm on my way back in to Grandville South now." Sophie hangs up and Joshua lays on the horn for Deon to hurry back to the car. He watches as Deon hands her guitar to her and runs back to the car. Joshua calls Angel's phone and gets her voice mail.

After pigging out on Ice cream Angel takes Candy home. She walks in and Sophie tells her what happen when she called Joshua's phone looking for her. Angel checks her phone she hadn't turned up the ringer from when she was in session. She apologizes to Sophie and dials Joshua's phone, Deon answers. "Hey Deon tell Joshua I'm fine I just forgot to turn my phone off silent from when I was in session." She can hear Joshua yelling that she did it on purpose and hangs up.

Deon looks over at Joshua who is still talking loud enough for Angel to hear him. "Dude she hung up. What's your problem you've been in a foul mood ever since session?" Joshua says what's on his mind about Angel trying to throw him a birthday party. "Wow so you're all hyper and pissed off, because someone that gives a fuck about you wants to do something nice for you. Do you hear yourself?" Deon keeps talking and some of the underlying reason comes to the surface. "Stop, Joshua, Angel's not your siblings, or your fucking half-baked roommate. Yeah, she was pissed, from what you said you just kind of went Godzilla all over her damn feelings. So what's up with the song, you said yourself we weren't doing the Not While I'm Around cover anymore. Did you see the look on Angel's face? Viv did and you might want to watch out for Viv she was spying on you guys when you told us to take 5. She went all top bitch on Candy and then proceeded to cut Angel off in mid-sentence and you just stood there." Joshua shoots back about Angel being mad at him for taking Viv home then turning off her phone. "So it never happened before tonight? Angel never left her phone on silent after leaving session?"

"Enough okay" Joshua had just got a dose of a clear headed Deon. The bad thing was seeing his actions through someone else's eyes opened his. He drops Deon off and calls Candy. Candy gave it to him with both barrels. Wanting a female's opinion he asked should he have taken Viv home. That opened another can of worms. Candy told him to never compare their friendship or use the fact that he does something for her as a bridge to do shit for Vivian. She also says Vivian didn't walk to the Club. That Joshua knew from how long it took him to get her home. He pulls up outside of Ivey Mansion and looks up at Angel's window. "Hey I'm at Angel's place see you at session tomorrow." Candy tells him to go get some sleep. Joshua walks in and up the stairs. When he opens Angel's bedroom door he is hit with a burst of sound. Angel had went to sleep with her music on. His promo song was what she was listening to on repeat. She was curled around his pillow. He walks over and turns down his guitar solo. He walks around the bed and when he sees that she had been crying Candy's little tirade comes back into his mind. He sat on the couch and put his head in hands. What seems like minutes later Angel is telling him to wake up? He looks up and she was sitting up in bed. He was about to apologize but she holds up a hand.

Angel didn't want to fight with him. It wasn't very smart and it was his decision she also didn't want to chase him away. Her father had asked what she was going do about it. Her decision, leave it alone. "I don't want to fight anymore. I should have never said anything. Will you forgive me?" He asks her what brought on the change. "It's not worth it, if it is just going to piss you off, or make us both miserable."

Joshua gets up and sits on the bed "Your heart was in the right place, I just took it way too far. I'm also sorry for being two kinds of crazy at the club tonight." His phone rings. He pulls it open and Vivian's Facebook picture dances across his screen. Joshua was no fool he puts it on speaker phone. "Hey, you're on speaker phone what's up, are you calling off already?"

"No, I was just checking on you to make sure you had arrived safely back home. Good night boss man. Night, whoever else is listening." She purrs and hangs up before Joshua can tell her who was listening. She already knew so he'd went to stay at Angel's place after all. She sends him a sleeping emoticon in a text message saying sweet dreams. Vivian smiles turns over in her bed and goes to sleep.

Angel is about to say something when his phone chimes. He opens the program and Vivian's good night text message pops up on his screen. He shuts off his phone. "She's texting you?"

"I'll set everything straight tomorrow." Joshua says as she lays down he lays down beside her. Wrapping his arms around her he pulls her closer to him. She turns around in his arms and faces him. They can see each other in the moon light coming through her window. "Like I said before I'm sorry. Deon said I went Godzilla on your feelings. He pointed out that my whole reason for being pissed was stupid. Even if I could discount his rant Candy said almost the same thing. I also shouldn't have snapped at you over Viv needing a ride home. Candy threatens to clobber me if I use her as an example again. It just kind of rubbed me the wrong way that you were acting like you didn't trust me."

"Joshua, it's not you that I don't trust. You are one of the only people that I do trust." He tells her that he sees he is going to have set some guidelines with certain new band members. They kiss, since she was more comfortable on her other side she turns around and soon falls asleep with his arms around her. Joshua sighs. He had no trouble getting himself in trouble he didn't need any help from Viv he thinks and soon drifts off as well.

The next morning Angel gets up and in the shower minutes into her shower the curtain moves. Screaming she throws the shampoo bottle at whoever was pulling it open. "Ouch fuck Angel it's me." Joshua says as she tells him all she saw was the curtain moving. "I was coming to surprise you. You watch too many movies. I think the baby has improved your aim." She washes the soap out of her face and is rewarded with the sight of naked Joshua. He stood in the mirror looking at where she hit him in the face with the shampoo bottle. Climbing out, she almost slips on the now wet floor from the curtain being open. Joshua reaches out and grabs her hand "Whoa, be careful babe I'm fine."

Angel stands in front of him she hadn't broke the skin but he was going to have a bruise on his forehead. "I'm sorry" he tells her no she's not before she says anything else. He smirks and says his turn. She steps back. "You're nuts if you think I'm going to let you hit me back." He quickly reaches out and pulls her against him. Telling her the thought never crossed his mind. He then picks her up and carries her back into the bedroom.

As he lays her on the bed he says "like I said my turn." He then starts kissing her after a very large amount of teasing her. Joshua sends her into orbit then follows. They shower together and head downstairs in search of food.

Jonathon was sitting in the kitchen when they come down. He takes one look at Joshua's forehead and raises an eyebrow. Joshua tells on her "Now I see why you and Sophie ask Am I Invited. I call myself surprising her, the next thing I know she screams and I get hit in the face with a giant shampoo bottle." Jonathon bursts out laughing.

After breakfast they head out to the studio in Angel's truck. Angel tells Joshua to pick up Candy. Candy comes out when Joshua gets out helping her store her equipment she stares at this head. "Do I want to know? Yes what happened to your head?" Joshua combs his bangs down over the mark and says Angel clocked him with a shampoo bottle. "Oh wow"

Angel looks around and spots her old house before they moved into Ivey Mansion. As Joshua helps Candy get her Keyboards secured in the back. Angel gets out of the car in a daze and walks up the sidewalk. She didn't go in the yard just stared at the house. She was 13 when they moved she remembered this house it was for sale, scratch that it had been sold said the marker across the sign on the other side. If she remembers correctly her father had built the house from the ground up along with his father and grandfather. To think he'd let her mother stay in a house built by three generations of McBride so his daughter would have a place to stay. Angel looked up at the ledge that she used to climb out on and sit on the roof. Her hiding space when shit got rough. Until Chase rode his bike down the hill and spotted her, yelling at her to get back in her room and off the damn roof. He hadn't told on her though. The little three bedroom starter house. Angel hoped that whoever bought it made better memories than her mother a woman that couldn't even bring herself to love her own child. Angel tucks her hand into her hoodie and rubs her stomach telling her unborn child "Little one, Mama, & Daddy already loves you." Joshua walks over and looks at the house then back at Angel, it then clicked this was where she grew up. Sophia had not allowed him to come over until Chase spoke to her whatever he said must have worked when they moved he was at her house more than his. He asks her was she ready to go. Sighing she says yes and heads back to the truck.

Candy leans forward and whispers "I heard you clocked Joshua. Was it on purpose?" Angel says no in a detached tone. She stares out the window at what once was her home.

Joshua gets in his phone rings. "Look, Viv the answer is no. I'm not trying to come all the way back to Grandville North just to come get you and we're already running late you live clear on the other side of town. Find a way there or call off your choice Goodbye." Sighing he pulls out of Candy's driveway and aggressively drives into to Dallas. He slows down when he glances over at Angel she is holding on to the Oh shit handle above the door with eyes screwed shut. She opens her eyes when she notices the decrease in speed. He takes the ramp and soon parks at LEGNA. The moment they park Angel covers her mouth, jumps out of the truck, dashing for the building.

Joshua looks in the back seat Candy meets his gaze and tells him. "It is official you've lost your mind." He disagrees, "Joshua you were going 80 the whole time. In town you almost took out a garbage can. On the highway you challenged a Simi this" Candy waves her hand in a circle representing the area of the truck "is a truck not a Simi. I thought we were gonna end up a splat on the wall." He says she didn't say anything and neither did Angel. "Oh no, you don't get to jump on the defensive this time. You got mad, because Vivian called you to come get her. What the hell were we supposed to do scream STOP, and have you slam on the breaks making everything worse? We already had a visit from King Kong Davenport yesterday can we please have our band lead and my best friend Joshua today?" he sighs and leans his head on the steering wheel. He says if his mood was that obvious to her it probably spoke volumes to Angel. He asks what she and Angel did last night when they left the club. "You really want to know?" He looks back at her and nods. "When I caught her crying I offered to get her ice cream and we went to a diner nothing big just time enough for her to calm down. She's pregnant and emotional, but last night it was mostly about you, and Viv, and the song. You being mad at her, Vivian toying with her, and that song you sang all the time before mania." Candy gets out of the truck and walks around to the driver's side door. "So who do we get today King Kong or Joshua?" He rolls up the window gets out and says Joshua. "Good to have you back buddy"

They walk in LEGNA Joshua finds Deon in the lobby. Vivian walks in with her guitar strapped to her back. She raises her hands and says "I'm here you lucky people." Vash walks in behind her and asks her to please move. She glares at him and steps out of his way. "Hey boss man, I know you didn't have a mark on you when you left my house last night who V8ed you?"

Ignoring Vivian for now Joshua walks towards the restrooms Angel comes out into the hall smelling like Listerine. He'd called her and her phone is playing Love Is here to Stay. He ends the call since he is now standing in front of her. It clicked then why she might not like (Not While I'm Around) anymore. It reminded her of the shit with Scott. "You okay?" She tells him yes and to please not drive so fast like that anymore. If she was asking him to slow down then he was speeding because she drove defensively fast herself. "I really didn't think I was driving that bad, until I looked over at you. I scared you, and it won't happen again." She warily watches him. "What?" she asks is he still mad about Vivian's call. "I'm not going to lie. I'm a little irritated but I'll chill out." She sighs in relief "Was I that bad?" she looks at the floor and asks him was that a trick question. "No, and I think I got my answer. I don't need you finding shampoo bottles in your purse. We all need to have a meeting this shit ends before it begins. She looks around and kisses his cheek placing her hand on his chest. He bites his lip and says in a low sexy tone. "Don't start anything you can't finish Little Red Riding Hood."

They head into the studio holding hands. Candy smiles at them Vivian rolls her eyes and starts picking up her guitar. Vash smirks and Deon warms up and ends with shredding Here Comes the Bride laughing the whole time. Vivian pulls her phone and starts texting. Joshua gets a text message from Vivian saying "wow they're all lame poor boss man." With a sad face emoticon.

Joshua hands his phone to Angel and tells her to please put his on silent. Angel reads the messages sent by Vivian and deletes them. She says she cleared the screen saying she knew he didn't like threads on his phone for long. He looks back at her and thanks her. When he turns back Vivian looks pissed. "Okay we got a lot to do in a little time. I first want to say a few things and get some things straight. As far as transportation unless there has been a previous arrangement made you are all responsible for your own transportation." Vivian sits in a seat saying she wasn't the only one that got a ride last night, as she looks at Candy. "I said unless a previous arrangement is made." Angel turns her phone on silent. The beep reminds Joshua of something else that he had really never had to stress with anyone else. "When I came in you were texting. This is session we are here to work all phones or anything else that makes noise could mess up our sound." Since he didn't want Viv to think he was picking on her he turns to Vash. "Vash this room is wired for sound. You don't have to play as hard in here as you do live or at the Davenport." Vash says he kind of figured. "Okay one more thing then we can get this session started. "Um Viv I'm saying this to you because you're new and you didn't know. Yes you have my number you can ask any of these guys I don't like being interrupted when I'm not on the clock." I run a business music is a large part of my life but I have a personal life outside of Personal Touch." He walks over and asks for his phone from Angel. He holds it up. "The number to this phone is for business only. Unless there is an emergency or you are calling off do not call this number after 10 pm. If it is a night that we will not meet don't call or text my phone."

Vivian bats her eyelashes at him "So you can call me but I can't call you. That doesn't seem fair." she purrs crossing her legs.

Joshua sighs "Vash we've known of each other since I was a child and my parents owned the Davenport how many times have I called you just to chat?" Vash thinks about it and says none. "Deon you've worked with me for a while now, do I ever just call you out of the blue?"

Deon says "um No and Joshua I guess this is a good a time as any to ask you for your number again. My phone had an update and since Facebook's sync function is trash and you have only called me once last month. My phone ate your number."

Candy says "I'll give it to you Deon. Josh and I, are best friends and he really doesn't even call me that much. When he does he'll ask how I am but more often than not it's something about the club or a show we have or something like that."

Vivian smiles at Angel "let me guess you don't call her either right."

Angel walks closer and tells Vivian in her most professional tone. "Joshua doesn't have to call he's usually in my presence. When he feels the need to call me or I him there is no issue. Now Vivian he has said it very nicely. I'm saying it so you will fully understand. You aren't a stupid woman, so you'll understand when I say unless it is professionally necessary, leave my fiancé alone." Vivian glares at her. Angel turns to walk under the microphone. They go over a few songs. Joshua excuses himself saying he had a surprise. He walks back in with a violin. He gives the sheet music to the band and starts to play the song Angel wrote a few months ago. Angel sings the song. Joshua soon gives the sign for the band to stop and ends the melody on his violin.

Vivian says "boss man wow, I had no clue that you could write like that."

Joshua smiles "I can't" everyone except Angel starts asking who was it a cover for. He smirks "It's not a cover Angel wrote it "

Angel blushes and says "You guys did great. When I wrote it I kind of had a guitar solo in mind but this was way better."

Vivian smiles at Angel and says "That's why boss man is the lead and you're just along for the ride."

Candy mumbles rolling her eyes "without Angel, the song wouldn't exist." The woman in the booth chimes in and says that the studio was booked for another band's session in 10 minutes. Joshua asks did she get the song they just played recorded so they could take the copies home and practice. The woman tells him yes the song clips would be finished in time. He thanks her. Candy says "Hey Joshua when is the next session for us and will it be here or at the club?" They all decide to meet up at the club the next night.

Joshua is thankful that all goes well for the next two weeks. His birthday had crept up on him. He hadn't said anything else about it and Angel hadn't either. Today he was officially older than Angel. They were 4 months apart. She was now 14 weeks along. He turns over and kisses her on the nape of her neck. "Happy birthday baby" she whispers sleepily as she snuggles under the covers turning to face him.

"Um Thanks" she tells him that she has something for him. "Hmm is it a kiss?" She tells him no but that can be arranged. She smiles at him kissing him. She gets up and walks across the room grabs a large envelope and comes back with it behind her back. Sitting on the side of the bed she hands him the envelope. "When I went to the doctor I got some news that I figured I could wait till today to give you."

"You went alone?" she says Sophie went with her. Joshua rips the envelope open and pulls out a picture frame. He turns it over and pauses. It was a 3 section picture. A copy of his high school senior picture a picture of Angel as a toddler and in the middle was a 3-D ultrasound picture that read it's a boy. She asks him to please say something. "I…I don't know what to say."

He sat there staring at the picture. "Is it a good speechless or a bad speechless?" When he looks at her the answer was written all over his face. "Like I said before happy birthday" He hugs her. "Joshua Davenport Jr." he lets her go. A haunted look claims his eyes as he tells her he'd rather her not name their son after him. "I thought you like your name?"

"Davenport's fine I just don't think naming him after me is a good idea. He's going to be his own person. I never liked the idea of the second the third the forth, babe we are two very creative people I think we can do better than naming him Joshua. If he was a girl would you name her Angela?"

Angel looks at the floor. "I see your point. I thought it was different with guys." He says if he had of been born Joshua Davenport he might feel differently but he wasn't. What it boiled down to was that Joshua was just a way better name than Boy."

Chase had invited Jonathon to a game of golf at the Grandville South Country Club. Chase had lots of free time on his hands now that Sophie was comfortable in her new position. His home was finished and he'd moved in to a 3 bedroom home in the middle of town. Ivey house in Florida was sold and so was Angel's condo in Manhattan. She ended up taking only her unfinished songs and a few papers the rest of it she either donated or threw away. Chase didn't know if she would do it or not. When she came to him he agreed to fly her up to New York. Joshua was very supportive and made sure she didn't get too overwhelmed.

Seeing Jonathon, Chase waves him over. "Are you ready for this fantastic whipping McBride?" They play and Jonathon was better than Chase had thought. After the last hole is played Jonathon grins like a Cheesier cat and says he hoped Chase had a good day. "The only reason I lost was because the sun was I my eyes. Anyway, I called you here for a reason."

Jonathon picks up his golf bag. "I kind of figured. So since you couldn't school me in golf, what did you want to discuss exactly?"

"Paula showed me something very interesting about your main location. You mind if I ask why you haven't brought your US location to scale."

"Chase, I've seen your work, and I know that you still own the land that LEGNA sits on." Chase opens his mouth to say something. Jonathon puts up a hand. "I figured Dallas was far enough away but I was wrong. Though you yourself don't own the land. Ivey Enterprises owns the bank that does." Chase asks Jonathon would he consider buying a larger location for LEGNA since it was a massive structure in Ireland compared to the ten story leased location. "Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm no fool. When it becomes more of a necessity I'll buy out of that leased location. I won't have you one day decide to fuck up everything I've done."

"Okay look I see you've done your homework. I have something to show you. I have done mine as well. LEGNA USA as it stands right now is costing you more than what it should have. That is not my doing we are both business men I would like you to consider moving into Grandville South. I know the only reason you have set up in Dallas was to avoid what has happened. Chase pulls a piece of paper out of his brief case once they get to his car. "Look it over this location would be owned by you the land and the structure that is on it currently." At first glance Jonathon is suspicious as to why and offer 35% lower than what he was paying in leasing one of the properties in Dallas was even on the table. Not being afraid to question such a business move he brings his concerns back to Chase. "Like I said in the proposal there isn't enough work here in Grandville South. The original owners of some of these businesses are getting older and closing. I don't want to see my town fail. Grandville use to just be Grandville. Grandville North is the prime example of what could happen. The price of the location is a reflection of the fact that in 10 years no one has been even willing to rent the property. Give it some thought and call Sophie at the number listed. Now I'm going to play dirty. While you're thinking it over you would also be closer to our grandchild."

"Well played I'll give it some serious thought. Wait until I tell Angel I beat you in golf." Chase says it was purely the sun's fault. "Uh huh" Jonathon walks back to his car whistling one of his newer bands songs. As he is driving towards the club he stops behind Vivian walking her motorcycle. The little blond looked like a Ghostbuster with her guitar strapped to her back. He gets out of his Land Rover and walks up behind her. "Having trouble?" She turns around and her eyes widen.

Vivian felt like an idiot. Her fuel gauge had messed up and she'd run out of gas. Now her boss was standing in the street watching her through his lightly tinted sunglasses she could still see his eyes. "Yeah, I just need to get to the station."

"I can get you some gasoline. Where you headed to practice tonight?"

"Yeah, it's Joshua's birthday and I was trying to get there before he did. I don't need him being pissed off because I'm late. Kind of my present to him heh." She half laughs.

"Has your attendance been an issue?" Jonathon asks as they get in his vehicle.

"Not really I made it there last night with 15 minutes to spare it's just that sometimes I kind of rub people the wrong way." He asks her what she means. "Well I joined Personal Touch as back up lead and the songs we are playing are not what I expected. I asked Joshua about an idea I had but he really threw cold water on my suggestion. I have vocal experience as well as guitar. I wanted to do the song we are doing since he is playing violin I wanted to play and sing the song. With us both up there playing it would really be pleasing to the eye. He cut out one of the songs all together which put us back at 8 songs for the album." Vivian notices that this is news to Jonathon and smiles to herself. He asks her idea. "I think it would work better as an acoustic song or at the very least let me sing." Jonathon says he'll speak with Joshua. They get her bike started she leans up quickly and kisses his cheek thanking him.

Jonathon stands near his door stunned before he can say anything she hopped on her bike and drove off. He heads to the club he had already added a list of the songs they had agreed on he didn't like to be left in the dark. Jonathon puts this date into his phone Joshua was going to be kin soon so he thought he should add the young man's birthday and set up a reminder.

Angel finally admitted that she still really wanted to do something for Joshua's birthday. He said baby steps and she suggested Paula's bar in a private room saying it wasn't a party just dinner. Seeing that it still meant so much to her he agreed that after session they would go out to Paula's bar for his birthday dinner. He really liked Paula's homemade pizza that she had recently added to her menu. Joshua gets a text message from Jonathon saying they needed to have a meeting. "I guess we are heading to the club early tonight. Does your dad know about the all caps rule?" Angel looks at the screen and shrugs. They walk into his office at the Davenport. He puts his present up on the wall. Angel goes in his in suite bathroom. A knock is heard its way too soft to be Jonathon. "Come" Joshua says as he walks toward the door. It had to be someone from the band no one else was in the club this early.

Vivian walks in, in a halter dress with her hair down. "I heard it's your birthday okay maybe I looked it up. My gift to you I'm on time." She starts to sing Happy Birthday as she meets his eyes and walks towards him. She sees the bathroom door opening and that's when she launches herself at him wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him. His gaze changes from suspicious to surprised anger in seconds flat he puts both hands on her shoulders and pushes her off of him. She looks behind him and feigns surprise as the bathroom door slams shut. She'd met Angel's gaze before he pushed her off.

Joshua takes a breath and tells Vivian to get out. She tries to walk around him saying she would straighten everything out. He steps in her way. "We were doing so well everyone was getting along then you lose your fucking mind. You don't have to go home but right now you have to leave here."

"Joshua I didn't know she was in here I thought you would be in here alone. I'll straighten everything out I promise. Angel please come out." Joshua points to the door. His usually hooded gaze is blue fire as he tells her to get the fuck out. "Are you firing me?" Taking a breath he says no but he wanted her out of his sight for a while. "Fair enough I'm sorry, I do like you but from the way you repelled my ass like a bug zapper I now see it's just one sided. It won't happen again." Vivian walks out of his office.

Jonathon's gaze darkens at the site of Vivian coming from Joshua's office dressed in half of nothing with her lipstick messed up. She stood with her back against his door crying. "You mind on telling me why you are here dressed like that and crying." She says she wasn't proud of her side chick status but Joshua called it stress relief and she liked him so she went along with it. "So why are you out in the hall crying?" her next words made him want to punch a hole in the fucking wall.

He looked intense but she'd played it this far might as well go for the head. "Angel caught us, I didn't know she was here yet." Jonathon looks about to explode as he tells her go home because session was canceled tonight.

Inside Joshua's office he beats on the bathroom door. "Angel It's not what it looked like I swear." His office door bangs open and Jonathon stands in the doorway. Joshua didn't need this right now. Angel had locked herself in the bathroom. Now Jonathon was in his office. "Look I don't know what you are pissed about I…"

Seeing the lipstick smeared on Joshua's lips. Set Jonathon off like a rocket he was across the room and pinning Joshua to the wall by the throat in mere seconds of seeing him. They hit the wall with such force it broke the window three feet away. "You fucking bastard I should kill you. I saw your Whore, You lying piece of shit." Joshua tries to say something. "Angel trusted you we all did. I asked you for one thing not to hurt my girl." Joshua kept his hands on Jonathon's trying to separate his hands from around his neck. Jonathon slams him again. "You gave your fucking word" Joshua's eyes were starting to glaze and his grip loosened on Jonathon's wrist.

Angel comes running out the bathroom at the sound of what sounded like the building coming down. When she sees Joshua starting to shake she begs her father to let him go. He let's go and turns to her. Joshua crumples to floor coughing and wheezing. "I know what I saw, but hurting him isn't going fix anything." When Jonathon tells her what was said by Vivian Angel's tears wouldn't stop blinding her. She say's "I...I don't know what I did wrong. Goodbye Joshua." She walks into the hall Jonathon follows her telling her he'd drive her home.

Joshua felt like he was going to pass out. Hearing Jonathon tell Angel of Vivian's "confession" he'd felt sick. Vivian's lie was what more than likely got his ass handed to him. It all made perfect sense. Vivian had not left the building after all. Yeah Vivian fucked him but it wasn't the way Angel or Jonathon thought. When the old man charged him into the wall he was completely caught off guard. Angel may have very well saved his life tonight. He turns watching her as she is now speaking when she tells him goodbye and leaves the room his emotional dam broke along with his heart as he covers his face. He hadn't let it happen ever since childhood tears ran down his cheeks unchecked. No anger just pain. He usually wore his anger as a shield against the outside world. He'd let Angel in long time ago.

Candy walks down the hall and sees Angel and Jonathon walking towards the rear exit. "Hey guys. Angel?" Angel looks back Jonathon says something to her and they walk on out the back door. Angel was all red in the face like she'd been crying. Thinking maybe Joshua was up to his King Kong Davenport feeling stomping ways, because it was his birthday, she power walks into his office and stops dead in her tracks. His office was trashed the window was busted out and on the floor lay Joshua crying. Anybody else and she would have slowly backed out of the office. Joshua didn't cry he yelled, he screamed he fought, he threw shit, but crying wasn't near normal. "Joshua what happened?"

Joshua wipes his face and sits up leaning on the wall. On a shuddering breath he says "Go home just go home session's canceled."

"Well that's kind of why I came Deon won't be here tonight he was helping his parents move and now he's stuck in Evergreen township. His car broke down. Joshua what's wrong I saw Angel leaving with Jonathon? She wouldn't even speak to me she seemed upset. I come in here and you're on the floor crying and your office is trashed what happened?" When he looks up at her she see the lipstick smeared on his lips. Candy walks closer when she bends down and rubs some of the lipstick off and smells it. "I can defiantly say this isn't in one of Angel's collections what's going on Joshua?" He gets to his feet and almost face plants the desk. "Whoa, okay um how about you sit down, before you fall down." She grabs his desk chair and he sits in it. "Look up again." when he does she sees the bruising around his throat. Her eyes widen as she says. "What the fuck happen?"

"Please don't yell. My head hurts like having a hangover without the fun of alcohol." he tells her all of it. At points he has to stop speaking. He finishes with "I can't even be pissed that she don't trust me anymore. This shit was layered fuckedness. For two weeks we've been fine no fighting no arguing no drama. We even went and cleaned out her condo in Manhattan. This morning…" he had to stop again.

"What happened this morning?" Candy asks as she gets off his desk and walks in the bathroom grabbing wet towel paper. She walks back out and hands him the towel paper. "Please wipe that shit off your face. I believe you but seeing Vivian's shade on you still pisses me of, and I'm not even dating you."

Joshua harshly wipes off the lipstick. He lifts his gaze to Candy's she says much better. He looks down at the napkin crumples it up and tosses it in the trash can. Joshua grits his teeth. "That is probably why Vivian's story was so believable to Jonathon. That bitch told him that she is my side chick. I don't even like blondes. No offense." He says as he clenched and unclenched his fist.

Candy smiles her Joshua was at the very least not crying anymore. Now the work could begin. "None taken I know which blonde you're talking about. Mine comes from a salon. Hey did you get Supervisor installed yet?" he says yes "Is it wired for sound or just video?" he shrugs and says both and asks her why. She just looks at him. "You'll catch it soon." She sees when the light bulb comes on.

Joshua's eyes light up like a kid at Christmas. He about knocks her out of the way getting to his computer. He tries his favorite password it wasn't working. "Fuck come on, I know what I set as the fucking password." After the third try he pounds his fist on his desk. Candy leans over and pushes the cap locks off. "Thanks" he says when Supervisor loads. Joshua rubs a hand over his face. Paula calls him on his desk phone. "Davenport" Paula asks was it him he tells her yes and she asks where were they? "I need your help." Paula says sure "before you agree you should know that as of now. I'm about as screwed as anyone can be, when it comes to being on Angel's shit list. I'm going to send you a video check it out and call me back."

At Ivey Mansion Angel sat in her room. She held the envelope that he had ripped open. Sophie calls her. She answers the phone. Sophie asks her was she still going to the Last Ride. "NO there's no reason anymore." Angel starts crying all over again. She cried on the way home she cried when she turned on her music. She'd thought she was done but everything in her room reminded her of Joshua. Sophie asked could she come in. "I don't care"

Sophie brings in chocolate holding it out in front of her. Angel had come home and changed into one of her long gowns and sat on her bed her face is puffy and red she sat cross-legged holding a torn envelope. "Hey I need a chocolate buddy and it looks like you need chocolate."

Angel looks at the tin of imported candies and takes one. "I need my fiancé not to be a lying, cheating toad." Angel unwraps the candy and pops it into her mouth. She twist the wrapper around her ring finger "Maybe it's for the best that the ring got stolen. At least I won't have to return it knowing it will go to her."

"Whoa, What? Who? Angel I'm going to need you to start from the beginning. What happened?" Angel starts with the kiss and then what Viv admitted to Jonathon. "What did Joshua have to say about it or had he regained speech yet?" Angel admitted after Jonathon told her what Vivian had admitted to him all she heard was her heart in her ears. She admits that she kept feeling dizzy but couldn't stop crying. "If he going to upset you that much you don't need his ass. You should have let Jonathon snap his little ass in half."

Angel tears up "As crazy as it sounds even knowing that he picked someone else I still love him. It just makes no sense. I don't know what I did to push him into her arms. It must have been something major because he said he's not attracted to blondes. That was a long time ago though." Sophie tells her it isn't anything she did wrong. "Maybe he just fell for her because she has some of the same skills as he does? They both play guitar." Sophie says Angel plays guitar too. "I play base at best."

Sophie gets a text message. She then looks down at Angel hoping Paula was right Sophie says "Angel let's go." Angel says she did want to leave the house. "Have you eaten since lunch?" Angel says she'll catch what catch can later, she wasn't hungry right now. That was the wrong response Sophie was kind of irritated now. "Angel, I've seen you catch what catch what catch can, it usually involves nothing. Now I know you're all bummed out because Joshua turned out to be a toad but it's not just about you anymore. Sis, you have my nephew in there hostage and I'm pretty sure he's hungry so don't eat for yourself eat for him."

"Fine, let me get dressed at least." Angel walks in the bathroom and sees her blotchy reflection she agreed to eat she didn't agree to make up. Who the hell cares what she looks like anymore anyway? Sophie was mad at her Joshua was cheating on her. She didn't get it she'd never understand. Nothing fit all the clothes she'd bought didn't fit right. She looks at herself and touches her belly she was showing now. "Baby boy your auntie Soapy is very bossy." More tears flood her eyes as she continues "But at...at least she loves us." She puts back on the outfit she had on earlier washes her face and walks out Sophie is sitting on her bed texting and waiting. "I'm ready"

Joshua had knots the size of watermelons in his stomach if this backfired some way it would really be over. Candy drove he sat in the passenger seat of Angel's truck. Candy had asked could she drive the truck Angel had told her she didn't care just get the keys from Joshua and return the truck after session or whatever she was doing. "She sounds about as bad as you look." He thanks her. "You're welcome. Now please cheer up. If we have to tie her down and tape her eyes open she's going to at least see what has everyone willing to help you even Paula. See all blondes aren't bad." He rolls his eyes.

He gets a text message from an unknown number. It read: happy birthday looks like you need help from some kin. Angel's ring is fixed and at your house in the mailbox. -Mark- P.S. Don't be too mad at Jonathon, he could have shot you and death is forever. You got a second chance make the best of it and good luck.

Joshua just hoped this worked and he got a chance to give it back to her. Jonathon called him. "Hello"

"I've spoken it over with my business partner. If you don't press charges against me. Personal Touch will remain a band minus your blonde whore. If you can't fire her I will."

"SHE'S NOT MY BLONDE!" Jonathon tells him to watches his tone. Candy looks over at him and mouths who it is? "Mr. McBride I'm not attracted to blondes you looked me up, Take a close look and my birth mother and ask yourself why in hell I would want to fuck a blonde. As far as pressing charges against you. The way my luck is right now I'd end up owing you court fees or some crap. As for firing Vivian I don't care what you do with her fire her, set her on fire I don't care. She's not at the top of my list" Jonathon hangs up. Joshua sighs. They pull up outside of Paula's bar. He takes a breath and pushes it out slowly. "Wish me luck." Candy had made him change shirts and made sure all the cheap ass lipstick wasn't on his face anymore.

Sophie and Angel ride in silence. When they pull up outside of Paula's bar Angel looks like she's about to cry again. "Why are we here? Maybe I wished so hard that he had a good time on his birthday. That he went out and found what he considers a good time now. She's taller than me, she's thinner, and more street than me, she's also platinum blonde."

"Hey little girl come on in here." Paula says standing outside of Sophie's car on Angel's side. They walk past the booths.

Angel stops when she sees Joshua sitting at a table in the room she'd reserved. He turns around when she starts speaking. "He changed clothes maybe he had Vivian come finish where she started." Angel felt sick at the thought of him fucking that bitch. She was hot really hot and Joshua blurred. The next thing she knew Sophie and Paula was fanning her and she was laying on the ground. She smelled him before she saw him. He comes into view. He wasn't blurry anymore. Candy looked down at her. Luke was invited to this thing when it was a birthday dinner. He asked was she in pain. Angel thinks about it and no there wasn't any physical pain. Her baby boy was safe. She looks Luke in the eye "I'm fine I got hot and dizzy and well you know the rest. Sophie, can I please just go home."

Sophie says "After you feed my nephew."

Angel is helped to her feet "I'm not hungry I don't even know why I came I just want to be left alone Damn it" Joshua walks over to her. He asks her if he leaves will she eat. She swallows hard and glares at him "I'd love to say she stole you but you're not property, you both are two consenting adults. I say happy birthday and I get "Um thanks" she dresses like a slut and sings it and gets a kiss. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FUCKING HER BEHIND MY BACK?" She screams and slaps him.

"Okay since this is not going well Angel come with me." Paula says as she guides Angel in her office. "I was going to show this on the big screen but before you do something or say something you can't take back look at this." Angel goes to argue with her and stops when she sees overhead footage of Joshua's office. When Vivian enters Angel gets up saying she didn't want to watch the porn version of what she saw today. "Hush this is what you thought you saw today see it's time stamped and this is one of Chase's programs so you know there wasn't any tampering done."

Angel watched and listened. She was so engrossed in the screen on Paula's lap top that she didn't see Paula walk to her door nor did she hear Joshua and the rest of their small group come in the room. Angel put her fist up to her mouth when she sees Joshua forcibly pushes Vivian off of him. The stuff she said Joshua's response. She saw the point when her father tried to kill him. She flinched when he hit the wall. After she sees herself leave the room, seeing Joshua crying made her cry that much harder. She touches the screen and then closes the laptop putting her head down. "It was all a trick and I fell for it. Candy asked me not to hurt him and that's exactly what I did."

Joshua couldn't take this shit anymore. He walks behind her. "Am I invited?" Angel turns around and launches herself at him. Kissing him and apologizing and crying. He holds her still "Hey no fair you didn't answer my question. Am I invited? "She tells him yes he's invited anywhere she is. She tells him she sorry for. "Please don't be. Like you said it was a trick. That was the scariest 7 hours of my life. When I saw the look on your face and heard what Vivian had said to your father I felt sick. I just knew she'd fucked me but not like you or Jonathon believed." She bites her lip and her eyes water. "Candy deserves a raise coming here was her brainchild because I had no idea that you would ever speak to me again. She pointed out that my office is wired for sound and so is the main entrance the only place that isn't is the bathroom of course and the stage because Vash didn't want extra feedback." Angel comments that he'd changed clothes. It's kind of tight but when Candy saw that bitch's lipstick on the shirt I had on. I wasn't going to show here smelling like her cheap ass perfume or with her lipstick on my damn shirt. This was the only shirt in my office and I now know why it's tight on me do you?"

Angel leans in and sniffs it. "Yeah it's my shirt. At least I'll be able to wear it longer now." Jonathon walks in, the room goes quiet. Angel turns around and stands in front of Joshua facing her father. "Daddy we got it so wrong."

Jonathon walks over to Angel "Excuse me Angela" Angel looks back at the look on Joshua's face. His eyes were back to hooded. His stance wasn't challenging but his hands were on his waist. He was prepared for an attack without looking on guard. Angel walks out of the way. Jonathon noticed the younger man's stance as well. He doesn't advance on Joshua. "I hung up because I was getting a call from Markus he's out of town and this situation or steaming pile of shit has reached his ears as well. When I saw the footage. I felt like an idiot. I knew where you would be and even if Angel was not willing to show up I wanted to tell you. If you want to sever all ties I'll let you out of the contract no tricks. It's the best I have, that and I'm sorry."

"Mr. McBride when you spoke about me pressing charges after seeing what you thought you saw. You said it before we're not so different because if someone hurt my child in the way you thought I did. I would have no problem with trying to flatten their ass. I'm not hurt at least you didn't shoot me. I don't want out of my contract. You know what you can do for me?" Jonathon raises an eyebrow. "I would appreciate it tremendously if you fired Vivian Arrow. For the past 7 hours Vivian made my life a living hell her trick could have very well got me killed tonight. I don't have many people that I love enough to go jail over. In fact Angel is the one and only. If Vivian ever attempted to put that look back on my babe's face again. Vivian would cease to exist because I wouldn't hurt her I'd kill her. Jonathon agrees that he'll have her called into LEGNA on a day that session is at the Davenport. "Thanks."

"Joshua you got about 5 minutes of birthday left any plans for next year?" Paula asks with a smirk.

Joshua looks at Angel, she shakes her head no and says she'll never ask him again. "The only thing I have planned for next year around this time is staying hidden in my home with my wife and child. Speaking of my baby boy it's time for you to eat something like real food." The small gathering of people moves back into the private room Joshua gets his pizza. Angel sits on his lap and feeds him and he her. When Sophie asks to take a picture Joshua accidently puts pizza to high and catches Angel in the nose instead of her mouth. Sophie snaps the picture anyway and cracks up. Saying that's what Angel got for not feeding her nephew. Angel wipes the sauce off her nose saying she didn't think inhaling pizza was that great of an idea if she wanted to fit in her dress. She takes one of the smaller slices and feeds Joshua. He catches her trying to hide a yarn. Her truck alarm is heard going off. Angel gets up Candy and Sophie are the first ones out of the room. Luke and Deon follow Joshua.

Vivian is caught in the security lights as she writes in her lipstick on the windshield. When she climbed up on the truck it had went off honking and blinking. When she sees Angel she tilts her head to the side and smiles as raises her arms like Angel dose to cue the band she starts to sing. "Nothing's going to harm you not I'm around." Angel walks towards the truck. Vivian jumps down in front of her. Candy comes to one side of her Sophie on the other. Vivian looks over Angel's head and sees Joshua walk behind her. Angel asked why she did it. "What the truck or steal your man." Candy tells her to leave. "Oh I told you before to mind your own damn business." Vivian steps closer to Angel "You look like shit. He deserves someone like me. That can keep up with him."

Sophie steps more in front of Angel taking out her earrings, putting her hair in a tight bun. Telling Vivian "Okay Bitch Bunny it's time for you back off. I still owe you a fresh one for hanging up on me. If you don't shut you're fucking mouth and walk away now. I'll show you better than I can tell you that you're fucking with the wrong family."

Vivian pushes Sophie backwards into Angel. Angel screams for Vivian not to touch her sister and starts to advance. Joshua pulls her back telling her no pregnant fighting please. Sophie grabs a hand full of Vivian's hair and starts punching her in the face. Vivian slaps at her and tries to pull Sophie's hair out of the bun. Candy had been wanting for a piece of this bitch since seeing Joshua cry. She holds Vivian's hands and starts stomping on her. Soon Luke grabs Sophie and Deon grabs Candy and pulls them away from a now unconscious bloody Vivian. Sophie looks around for her earrings wide-eyed Paula hands them over.

Luke calls a med team and soon Vivian is taken away in an ambulance that read Grandville Memorial North. Angel cringes saying that Chase was in the South Campus and they almost killed him. Luke tells her that his job as a health care professional was done when he got her help of any kind. "I'll try to stay on your good side. You're a scary guy Lucas Sheldon." Angel says as she tries but fails to hide another yarn. Sophie says Luke wouldn't dare send Angel to Grandville North because he'd have to deal with her. Luke says Angel couldn't do anything to him bad enough for him to send her to Grandville North or Grandville Memorial. Angel looks at her truck Vivian had dented the hood while standing on it. She reads aloud the lipstick message "Viv gets what Viv Wants!" Angel gets in and hits the windshield wiper fluid cleaning her window. She gets back out Joshua asks can he drive. "How are you on sleep?" He said he wanted to take her to his house tonight it was closer than driving back to Ivey Mansion and he had something for her. "We still have to go back to Ivey Mansion we have to take Candy home."

"Not so I can catch a cab from here it it's only about 11 dollars. You two go get some sleep. My godson has been trying to get you to go to sleep all night." Angel asks is she sure "Go now" Joshua takes the keys and says Candy had a point he tells Angel he fought too many obstacles tonight to have her pass out behind the wheel.

Angel hugs Paula and whispers "thank you so much." Paula tells her she was just looking out for her cousins. Angel hugs Sophie and thanks her for making her come. Sophie says that she's welcome and tells Candy that since she was going home and Candy didn't live that far she'd take her home.

"That's terrific Oh and Angel Viv did get what Viv wanted, a beat down." Candy smiles her couple was back together. Angel surprises her and hugs her whispering she's sorry for hurting Joshua and she was thankful that Candy helped fix everything. "Angel, make that the last time you apologize to me about this night. As long as Joshua is happy I'm good, it took some work but I knew if I could first get him off the floor we were heading in the right direction. Besides, I was lost after the Scott ordeal you cheered me up and I now have a female that I can call friend if I didn't thank you when it was happening thanks. You guys are my favorite couple I couldn't let that bitch break you up. What kind of friend would I be? Go get some sleep girl."

Joshua drives her truck to his house. When he looks over Angel is asleep. "Babe wake up we're here." She looks at him they sit in silence for a time listening to the engine run in cool down mode. "Come on, like I said I have something for you. When he gives her the ring she looks at it places it back on her finger and then hugs him thanking him for finding it. That night he lay there just talking to her with her in his arms and his hand on her stomach. He stops speaking when he hears her light snoring, his mind slowed down enough for him to finally get some much needed sleep.

AN: Thanks for reading Guys and Gals please feel free to review.

(Happy Face Emoticon) :End Note


	4. Chapter 4 A Trace of Crazy

**Chapter 4: A Trace of Crazy**

Paula went back into the new house it still had 6 bedrooms it now had a new master bath but it was still great she sets the alarm and waves at the camera. She spoke to the people next door and told them that their son was watching her in the shower. It turned out that it wasn't the son after all. The father who is 86 years old was the new occupant of that room. Paula warned him that anymore funny business and she would not be responsible for when her hubby knocked his creepy ass out.

Janet is now on summer vacation. Paula is so proud of her little girl. Janet had started calling her mama. The first time Paula thought it was just because she was afraid. Janet had scared the hell out of her running through the house in the middle of the night screaming mama. She thought that Janet was having a nightmare and was sleep walking or something. The next thing she knew there was 5 feet 4 inches of teenager in her bed. A field mouse had got in under her bed and Janet had watched a scary movie that night. Scary movie about monsters under your bed and sounds coming from under your bed in the dark made for a fast field trip into Paula's bed.

When it happened in casual conversation Paula paused. Janet asked her was there something wrong? Paula asked her was she sure she wanted to call her mama. Janet showed great maturity and said she knew who her Mother was and she also knows who her mama is and she had enough room in her heart to love them both. Janet thanks her for not pressuring her to call her anything even after the wedding Paula had kept to their agreement. Janet said that helped a lot.

It was the last days in June Janet didn't have to go back to Megan's house until August unless she wanted to. They had fun together. A knock sounds on the door. Paula knew it had to be someone they knew that knew the code to get in the gate. Angel stood on the doorstep. "Hey girl, come on in." They walk in to the kitchen. "So what brings you all the way out here at 10 in the morning?"

Janet walks in the kitchen "Morning mama, Hi Angel" Janet says as she runs over and gives her cousin a squeeze. Angel hugs her back. The kid was taller than her now. "Angel how did you get here your truck isn't outside?"

"Joshua dropped me off. We know how to get to your house but we never wrote down the address. I come bearing gifts and requests." Angel hands Paula the envelope that announced her baby shower. She hands Janet one as well. Janet is surprised she can come. "Of course you can come. Now about my request, um Megan and I are cool, and I want to include her but I don't exactly know where she lives. I could look her up but, I don't want to send an invitation to her house and have her thinking I'm stalking her, or for it to get lost in the mail for real and then she thinks I'm just lying to her." Angel pulls another blue envelope out of her purse. "Can you give it to her?"

"Give what to whom?" Mark asks as he walks in with Megan and Glenn, Glenny and Logan brings up the rear. Paula runs and hugs Mark asking him was everything ok. He nods bends down kisses his wife then walks across the kitchen waiting for Angel's answer.

Angel hugs Mark and let go just as fast. She greets everyone including Glenn. Turning to Megan she says "Megan I'm glad you showed today. I want to officially ask you something." Angel hands her the invite "Here, what I want to ask is what is your address?" Megan slowly pulls the envelope open. Angel watches her as she reads the little invite and meets Angel's eyes.

"Angel, why are you inviting me to a baby shower?" Angel looks confused and says she thought because they were okay that it would be okay to invite her. Megan hadn't spoken to Angel since the wedding. Getting an invite to her baby shower was a shock. It also felt like a slap because she couldn't have kids of her own. "Is this, some kind of joke if so I don't find it funny?" Megan snarls and rips up the invite throwing it in Angel's face.

Angel plasters a smile on her face. "Um okay, well it's time for me to go. As far as a joke I don't see how it's funny, but I won't need your address after all." Angel backs away from Megan when she is far enough to the door that leads into the living room she turns, and powerwalks out the front door.

Janet walks out of the room and out the front door too. She watches Angel put on her huge sunglasses, she then dials her phone "Hey when you get a chance come get me. I'll be in the front yard I'll be able to see the top of the truck from the porch. Well, I gave Paula and Janet theirs, Megan is here so I figured I'd give her the invite personally, and get her address so we could send out the wedding invites. I'm glad I didn't waste a stamp. Megan proved your point she was able to rip it even with the string going through it. We should have just sent out a mass text." Angel paces the porch when she turns she sees Janet "Hey I'll call you back or see you soon whichever comes first love you too bye."

Paula comes out and sends Janet back in the house to visit with her aunt. "Angel you just got here." Paula says

"Paula I don't know what that was about. I'm not going let her upset me. If she wants to go nuts she'll have to do by herself. It's good she let me know that she wasn't coming." Megan walks out the door. Angel looks out towards the street. She gets a text. "Um yeah it's been interesting got to go." She powerwalks down the stairs and towards the gate. Megan runs and jumps in front of her blocking the gate entrance. Paula tells Megan to cut it out. "Megan, I didn't do anything." Angel points between her and Megan "This is not going to happen. Please move you said you weren't coming that's fine." Megan explains why she thought Angel was being funny in inviting her to the baby shower. "So let me get this straight, you thought I was trying to rub it in your face that I'm having a baby and you can't have children. Megan question, how was I supposed to know? The topic never came up in the few conversations we have had now that you have got that out. My answer is still the same I didn't do it as a joke. I invited my cousins to my baby shower. Now please move. That's two"

"Okay that I can respect. I'm not even going to Paula's baby shower but if invited I will come to your wedding here is my address." Megan hands Angel a business card and walks away from the gate.

Angel takes the card, takes off her sunglasses, meets Megan's gaze and says "I'll think about it. I thought you had returned to the land of bat shit crazy. I'm not dancing with you anymore." Angel walks through the gate as she is about to step up in the cab Megan lets the gate close behind her and grabs Angel by her shirt pulling her off the running board. Joshua undoes his seat belt about to get out of the truck.

"What that's supposed to mean you said that's two." Megan surly didn't expect to be pepper sprayed. Angel says that's three and sprayed her. Megan lets her go chokes on the foam that hit her in the face. Angel gets off the ground where she'd been dropped on her butt, she scrambles into the truck buckles up and Joshua peels rubber down the dirt road. Mark comes out of the gate and asks Megan what happened. Megan tells him that Angel sprayed her in the face with mace. Mark hops on his bike, and zooms down the road after the big black truck.

Joshua slows down when they get on Main Street again. Mark is seen zipping in an out of traffic on his bike. "If I try to out run him he'll just come to the house. He sees her getting nervous. "No don't even, you were doing so well. Give me your hand" he rubs her hand as he parks the truck so he could talk to her. "Mark is pissed I know this, you know this, you also know that he is not going to hurt you. If anybody should be worried it's probably me. Now take a deep breath and calm down."

Mark gets off of his bike walks up to the passenger door opens the door and pulls her out of truck. Angel screams "JOSHUA!"

Joshua runs around the front of the truck. "What the fuck put her down Mark." Mark says no because she'll run. "She won't run. If you keep freaking her out by holding her in the fucking air I'm going to give you something to be mad about. Now put her down. That's two."

Mark looked at Joshua he was shaking but he never even looked away. He looks up at Angel she's crying. He sets her on the ground. "You can keep counting and I'll count along with you the times I kick yo ass boy. Now both of you had better start explaining." Angel doesn't run anywhere but to Joshua. Joshua put up a hand. Mark advances but stops when he sees that the boy wasn't about to flip him off. He was trying to calm Angel down. Angel rapidly tells Mark what happened. Then starts telling Joshua she's hot. "She pulled you off the running board backwards?" Angel tells him yes and fans herself.

Joshua didn't like the fact that she'd got so upset "are you hot because it's hot out here or like last time. She tells him like last time. "Look at me it's going to be okay. Don't say anything else you concentrate on calming down." Angel says she needs to sit down because she is dizzy. Joshua helps Angel back up in the truck and closes the door. He watches her through the window as he speaks to Mark. "I don't know what Megan thought she was going to do. Angel was trying to leave. You know yourself Angel's not quick to anger but she is quick to panic. It's probably been a long time since someone yanked your big ass from somewhere." Mark says unscripted yes it had. Joshua turns to Mark "Feeling like you have no control of your landing is a scary feeling. I tried to tell her before you even got close to the truck that you wouldn't hurt her. You grabbing her out of the truck freaked her out you knew what you were doing."

Mark sighs. "I just wanted answers. When I saw her reach for her purse I didn't want to get sprayed so I yanked her out the truck." He taps on the window not wanting to open the door again. Angel powers down the window. "Angel I grabbed mostly your clothes and I would not have dropped you if that's what you thought. Are you okay?" She says she's ok now. "I'm sorry about scaring you, I didn't know if you were going to spray me or not. Little One I will speak to Megan. You guys can come back up to the house." Angel says maybe some other time but not right now she then powers the window back up. "Paula says Angel was only there for a hot second before we came. I'd hate for this trip y'all took all the way out here to end like this. Like I said I'll talk to Megan."

Joshua sighs at least she wasn't sweating anymore. "We came out for a doctor's appointment Angel wanted to visit with Paula and give her the baby shower invites to give to Megan and Janet. I went to look for the address to the doctor. Last week when Angel passed out at the Last Ride it was because she was extremely upset because of the Vivian trick. We went to her doctor the next day because the next morning Angel said she felt weird. Dr. Middlebrooks said that when Angel gets really upset our baby's heart skips a beat. Her passing out is tied to the baby being in distress. So if Megan wants to go back in to her super crazy act she's going to have to do it alone this time. That goes for all of you. We're going to her appointment and then I'm taking her home because there isn't an amount of I'm sorry that could be said if something happens to our baby because of this shit." Mark agrees and asks had Joshua found the address he was looking for. "Yeah I found it but when I saw you in my rearview mirror I decided against stopping until I remembered you know where we live."

"Well I'm glad you stopped because there are county Mounties all waiting to pick up some speeders before the fourth. With those New York plates you'd be picked up in seconds of leaving town. You guys get going I'll have a talk with my dear sister and tell Paula what's going on." Joshua asks Mark how to get back to the street the doctor sat on since he also didn't want to get stopped for cruising. "Follow me and I'll lead you back up Meadow Drive." Joshua thanks him and gets in the truck. Mark gets on his bike and leads them to the doctor's office. It was a Sheldon & Middlebrooks health complex.

Joshua and Angel go to their appointment. Dr. Sandra Middlebrooks walks in with her latest test results saying that the baby was fine. She tells Angel if she couldn't keep calm on her own there were other methods that she could try. Angel says "I'm not doing drugs" She squeezes Joshua's hand he squeezes back and rubs his thumb over her fingers.

Not missing the silent action between the two Sandra says "No Angela, I'm talking about therapy. That's why I invited you out to this location instead of at Sheldon center in Grandville South. If this location is not doable we can find another. With everything that has happened in such a short while you need to be able to let some of it out in a manner that doesn't negatively affect you or your son. I saw the marks on your arms. Are your night terrors still plaguing you?" Angel admits that she had been having those more often. "That's why you are always tired you're not getting enough sleep." Angel tells her it only some nights others she sleeps like a baby. She says the rug burn type marks on her arms are from almost two months ago. "The point I am trying to get you to see is you really need to start a therapeutic program."

Angel looks at Joshua then back at the doctor. "Can therapy also help stop my response to my triggers altogether? I've been trying but some things just make me nervous. I'm tired of being transparent even to people that don't know me well." Angel tells Sandra about her meeting with Megan.

Sandra moves closer and stops Angel from rubbing "Angela triggers aren't bad they warn and give you the snap decision to fight or flee. Therapy will help you respond better and some triggers will be more fine-tuned. Based on what you told me you were handling your response very well. When she grabbed you that moment of uncertain weightlessness you felt, spiked your fear that she was going to harm you. When she held you against your will spraying her was your vehicle of escape." They agree on a date to start and Joshua recommends a new location closer to his home in Pyramid Texas. "Oh I thought you lived in Granville South." Joshua makes a face. Sandra admits in a loud whisper "Well I live in Greenfield 10 miles away from Pyramid which is 15 miles away from the nearest exit into Grandville South. Angela, I want you know that I'm very impress that you are even willing to give this a try. A few years ago you told me something that struck an alarm bell. Do you remember? "

Angel nods, looks at Joshua "I told her I'm not crazy and I'm not". Angel turns back to Sandra "I'm doing this because I don't want to end up like her." Joshua squeezes her hand and says that couldn't happen. "Joshua helped me see that not everyone is like the person I went to when Sophia was trying to get me committed."

If Sandra remembered correctly, that negative episode made Angel run away. When Chase found her he brought her to Sheldon Center and that's when she became Angela's primary doctor with Chase and later Sophie her only medical network contacts. It was her first case where the mother was not allowed to make any medical decisions on behalf her minor child. Sophia Ivey was a horrible person that should have been committed her damn self. Most of Angel's triggered emotional responses stemmed from Sophia's mistreatment of her. Now Angel was an adult. Joshua was a surprise he was not like Angel's past choice in men. Braden held some of the same manipulative traits as Sophia. Joshua seemed to be a positive influence, only time would tell. She shakes his hand "Thank you, I don't know where you've been hiding but I'm glad you've surfaced in her life. I had my doubts about you before our first meeting but I'm glad that I was wrong. You are a lot more compos mentis than you appear."

Joshua smirks "I'll take that as a complement. I've had my share of couch time. With the right person therapy can help a lot, with the person Sophia sent Angel to there was no plan to help her. Will you be doing the sessions? "

At Angel's alarmed expression Sandra says "Yes I have a double major in family medicine and psychotherapy. Sending you to someone else entirely could do more harm than good. Since Pyramid is like middle ground we can meet up in the center there. You two go enjoy your holiday and I'll see you next week."

As they are riding back into Grandville South Joshua is quiet. Angel reaches to turn on the radio. "Angel why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?" She tells him that the dreams were of stuff that by the time she wakes up she really doesn't want to think about at all. They pull up in front of Ivey Mansion. "These dreams are they about us?" He had his answer the minute she looked away. She tells him if she could stop them she would but she can't. Joshua sighs.

Angel leans back in the seat. The night of Vivian's trick they went back to his home and spoke about setting a date for their wedding. He gave her back her ring. While they were lying in bed talking he told her that he wanted to take her to CO for the 4th of July. He promised that his brother wasn't going to be there. She was so happy that he wasn't cheating on her she would have said yes to anything he asked that night. Now the 4th is less than 3 days away. "Joshua you know how you've always told me not to worry about your reaction to just tell you when something is on my mind?" he nods "I know I said I would go to CO with you." His gaze meets hers she quickly continues "I'm worried about whether your parents will like me." He smiles and seems to relax as he plays with a strand of her hair. He tells her she's met them before. "Yes as one of your friends at around Janet's age. Sally and Michael Davenport are very important to you like my dad and Chase is to me."

Back at Mark and Paula's home Mark returned Megan was sitting on the front porch. "I think it was old it burned like hell but I'm good now." Mark walks over to her and picks her up lifting her off the ground like he'd done to Angel. "Mark what the hell are you doing put my ass down." He does and tells her they had to have a serious talk. "What wild tale has she spun to you that has you treating my ass like luggage? Angel pepper sprayed me. Now you want to talk to me."

Paula brings Megan another towel. "I been trying to call her she won't answer my calls. Did you catch up to them?" Paula says with anger and concern in her voice.

Mark walks up on the porch and tells everyone to come in his den for bit. "I caught up with Angel and grabbed her ass out of the truck demanding to know what the fuck happened. Megan the way I held you up outside was how I had her. I had to put her down or beat the shit out of Joshua." Mark runs his hands through his hair." Megan didn't tell the whole story." Logan steps up and tells Mark no matter if they had words or not Angel was in the wrong and he was thinking of sending some of his cop kin to go pick her ass up. "Wait one damn minute. Before you get on the horn and put out an all call you might want to see what happened after Megan let Angel out of the gate. When Angel told me what happened she was in panic mode I doubt she could have lied that fast, but just to make sure I checked it against the camera system. Mark touches a picture on his computer screen with the video logo in the middle. When he clicks it the gate closes Megan grabs Angel rapidly pulls her off the running board says something the look on Angel face is pure fright not anger when she sprays Megan it was a quick burst when she hit the ground and scramble up into the truck. Mark stops the feed. "Still want to call the police Logan?"

Logan walks over to Megan "Red can we talk in the hall please?" They leave the room. Logan goes off. "What the hell Red? What did she say to you that made you so mad you pulled a pregnant woman off her damn feet? If you had of hurt her then what? Do you not like freedom?"

Megan screams "I want a baby damn it. Angel says it wasn't a joke. She wanted to see the look on my face when she handed me that fucking blue invite. She kept counting at me. She'd ask me to move out of her way then she would say one then two, I let her out of the fence. I wanted her to know that I'm no play thing. Just because I can't have kids don't mean she's superior. The way she was acting towards me her South Grandville was showing so I had to put her in check. She sprays me and I get yelled at real fair Logan really fucking fair."

"RED DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? You think I don't want a kid. Of course I do. We adopted a child Glenny is our child. I thought you were over this thing with Angel, you both were getting along so well. Until you come back to the real world where life isn't always fair but you fucking deal with it. I'm leaving, Glenny and I are out of here. I can't do this shit no more. You're going to have to grow up one day." Megan starts swinging on him and screaming he's leaving her over pussy he isn't even getting he catches her fist "THIS ISN'T ABOUT ANGEL, IT'S ABOUT YOU MEGAN YOU"VE LOST YOU FUCKING MIND" he lets her go and storms out the back door into the yard. Megan runs after him and jumps off the porch lands on him bringing them both down.

Paula yells for Mark and Glenn to go after them because the kids are in the back yard. Glenn is the first one outside when he sees Janet running after Glenny back around the house he runs down the stairs and grabs Megan pulling her into the air. She keeps screaming and cussing at Logan who is laying on the ground holding his shoulder. Mark comes out helps Logan to his feet. When Megan starts in on him he turns around and tells her to shut up before she said something she could not take back. Everyone stops when Janet who is in tears screams at Megan "IF YOU DON"T WANT HIM I DO" as she carries a crying Glenny into the house slamming the door.

Once in the house Janet runs into the den with Glenny she set him down and closes the den door. "Mama, can I please keep Glenny?" Paula tells her yeah and puts out her arms to both of them. They both lay on her on the huge couch. She strokes both of their hair and says soothing things to them shaking her head.

Outside Megan is placed on her feet. When she walks towards Logan he tells her he had to go to the hospital because he couldn't feel his hand. Megan says she needs some alone time. She gets in her car and drives off. Glenn tells Mark he'll drive Logan to the hospital. Mark throws him the keys and walks back in the house. Upon entering the den he just stands in the doorway, watches Janet and Glenny asleep lying on either side of Paula. She asks him are they asleep he nods and one by one he picks them up and puts them in their rooms he remembers to leave Glenny's door open and walks back sitting down with Paula. Rubbing a hand over his face he lays his head in her lap and asks "So how was your day before I brought home chaos in jar?" She says peaceful. "There is no way they are staying till the 4th of July." Paula says she's glad Angel and Joshua weren't here to witness that and how she felt sorry for Megan. Mark yarns "According to Joshua they got their own shit to deal with." She asks him what was wrong. He tells her what Joshua told him. Paula picks up her phone, looks at the time and dials Angel's phone.

Hours earlier inside the main site of Ivey Enterprises Chase says nothing and lets Sophie handle the meeting by the end Jonathon has a new building site in Grandville South that he outright owned. Jonathon informs Chase that he now had 2 surprises for his daughter. Chase tells Jonathon if he was talking about beating him in golf he still wanted to point out that the sun was in his eyes. Jonathon smirks "No it has nothing to do with golf. You once lived in a home that was built by myself, my father and Grandfather. It's down the hill from Ivey Mansion. When I left the US. I left Sophia that house to give to my child it was the only thing I agreed to during the divorce. When I found out that you sold it I felt powerless to do anything about it. The man you sold it to put it back on the market about a month ago. I met with him and long story really short I bought back my family's home." Chase congratulates him.

Angel and Joshua decided to come to his house in Pyramid instead of staying at Ivey Mansion tonight. She was ok with that because it was just them. She'd spoken to Sophie about Megan and Sophie told her that the bitch better be glad It was Joshua driving and not her because mace would have been the least of her problems. Angel answers the phone Joshua was out grabbing them something to eat. "Hello"

Paula sat on her couch Mark had got up and went to take a shower. Megan hadn't come back nor had Logan and Glenn. "Angel, are you alright? Mark told me about your appointment that answered why you were up before noon. Are you guys thinking of moving out here? " The NO! Was so swift Angel apologized for sounding rude. It was time to concur the elephant in the room. "About Megan she…" when Angel cut her off Paula just let her get it out.

"Paula, she scared the hell out of me. I didn't know what her next move was going to be. You know I didn't give her the invite out of meanness. I had no clue that she was going to react like that. I told her when she apologize at my home that she only had one more bat shit crazy card to draw on me, she drew two today and I'm done. I'm not going to go through that anymore. I wasn't going to fight her. There is just too much at stake."

"What I was going to say is that Megan was in the wrong I wasn't asking you to apologize especially after Mark showed us what happened on his yard cam." Watching that footage and then hearing Megan wig out sent a chill up Paula's spine. Paula slightly changes the direction of the conversation. "I was thinking we should combine our baby shower's I mean for the most part you know the people I would invite." Paula's small change in the direction of the conversation seemed to calm her cousin down. Angel's urgent and explanatory tone changed to excitement as they traded ideas.

They had a game plan about their baby shower the location didn't change and the only people she gave an invite to were Paula, Janet and Megan. Angel didn't know how to ask so she went with direct. "Paula I was wondering if you would meet me at the mall tomorrow? Joshua and I are taking a road trip up to his parent's home in Colorado." Paula says she didn't mind maybe she could find something that fit for the baby shower. Angel let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thanks that's great I've met his parents before but it was kind of in passing. I really don't remember but Joshua said I have met them it was totally different I wasn't "meeting his parents" as someone that is marrying their son. Sophie said just be myself you've seen me dress."

"Angel like I said I'll go with you but honey I'm not saying this to be mean, but you're not marrying Sally and Michael. Yes it would be nice if they liked you and they really don't have reason not to."

Joshua walks back in puts the food on the counter in the kitchen when he hears Angel speaking he stands by the door to the music room. He watches her pace the room with her ear buds in talking into her shirt. She always dipped her head like the person was going to hear her better. He smiles and is about to walk into the room when she says. "Thanks but after today I don't know if I'm all that likeable. First I was just worried about what to wear. With you I can find some really normal looking clothing but I don't want to say the wrong thing to his mom. I know I'm not marrying his mother but Paula maybe tomorrow you can coach me. This is going to sound wrong probably, but since you are from that age-range maybe you can give me some tips. Paula it's not funny I'll take notes if I have to, I want this so badly to work." Joshua walks in the room she jumps and watches him as he walks across the room. "Um, Paula I'll see you tomorrow Joshua is back. Bye and thanks."

He walks to her takes out her ear buds. "Angel, Paula is right the part about you not being likable stop it right now. Megan has been on your case ever since you guys met. I hate to tell you this but Paula isn't in my parent's age range. It doesn't matter because at the end of our trip I'm still going to love you. I've met and interacted with the people that matter most to you and not once have I been anyone but me. You still love me, as I am, don't you? " She says of course she does. "I say that to say this. Please don't try to change for my parents." He takes her hands in his. "If you want to go pick up an outfit because that's what you want to do go for it, but I want my parents to meet again the girl I fell in love with, my Angel, my good luck charm." He kisses her then smirks and says "Unless you plan on cussing out my mother" She looks mortified and says she would never disrespect Sally or Mike on purpose. "Ok then. I really don't know of any topic that is off limits. Think about this, they'd have to be pretty tough-skinned, they raised me. Now can I please feed my son before he starts giving you the blues? " They go have dinner and go to bed Joshua couldn't get to sleep he lays there holding her. When he feels her jerk back awake, he murmurs "everything is okay babe you're safe with me." When he feels her relax against him he presses a kiss to her nape and sleep claims him as well.

**AN: I know this is a short chapter but the next one moves fast I promise. I wanted Angel in therapy.**

**What do you think Angel's nightmare is about?**

**Will Megan chill out now that she risks her own marriage?"**

**Please read and review. :End Note**


	5. Chapter 5 Meet my Family

**Chapter 5**

** Meet my Family**

Joshua sits in the truck waiting on Angel. He's already put their bags in the back. She walks out in a black skirt that came to her knees with her fashion boots, an Ed Hardy Polo shirt, tucked in over it she wore his leather jacket, which was too big on her, but at least she wouldn't be cold. She takes the jacket off lays it on the seat and puts on her bracelets. One of the snaps wouldn't snap he reaches over and snaps it. He looks at her hair and wondered what the hell happened. "Did you cut your hair?" She turns away from him so he could see the super tight bun with two chopsticks sticking out the top to the sides she'd done. "If it starts making your head hurt please take it down." She asks was it too much? "A little bit. It looks painful" She takes it down and puts her hair in her usual ponytail. "Much better you ready?" she nods. Then asks him where they would be staying? "Since Cassandra moved back in, my parent's house really has no room. I booked us a room at the Boulder Inn it's pretty nice. I stayed there when I went up to check on my dad. Besides you may see it as childish, but I don't sleep under the same roof as Cassandra.

Angel reaches out and places her hand on his on the steering wheel. He relaxes his grip and takes a breath. "Joshua calm down your all tensed I don't think you're childish for not wanting to be back under the same roof asleep with her near. You wouldn't get any sleep and since you're driving. I need you to get sleep."

Hours later Joshua pulls up in front of the Boulder Inn. An hour ago Angel said she needed to lie down so she'd laid down on the inflatable Car Bed that was attached to the back seat. She'd draped his jacket over her and was out within minutes of him pulling out of the parking lot of the rest area they'd had lunch at. When he turns off the radio he hears her crying in her sleep getting out he opens the back door. She laid hugging his jacket and crying. "Angel babe, wake up your dreaming." He tugs the jacket she slowly opens her eyes and stares at him. Sitting up she wipes her tears away with her hands and comes away with her eye make-up. Cursing under her breath she looks around and says she'd forgotten she had it on. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I…I don't want to think about it right now." She scoots off the bed and hugs him to her tightly. He hugs her back rubbing his hand up and down her back. They walk into the lobby draped around each other. Joshua grabs the key, and has the staff take their things up. They enter and it's a living room area behind the double dark hued oak doors is a king sized bed. Angel soon reapplies her make-up and they leave out to meet up with his parents and Cassandra. Her dream was so real she had to get over that. As they arrive up on a higher mountain Angel felt sick, his parent's house was a ranch style with a huge observation window.

Sally Davenport walks to the front door to pull it open she'd seen a large black truck pull up into her driveway. "Michael I think one of your guest are here." She opens the door when she sees Joshua climb out of it she runs to him. "Oh I thought you were one of Michael's guest my baby boy I have a surprise for you. The rental agency let you rent your dream truck I see." He looks back at the passenger. "Joshua I thought you were bringing your fiancé."

"Hey mom" He bends down to her 5 foot 5 and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I did" She asks he did what rent the truck or brought her daughter? That made him smile. "It's Angel's truck." Sally walks around the side of the truck as Angel is getting out "Angela Ivey meet or re meet Mrs. Sally Lu Davenport." Sally steps closer and ask Angel is she okay. Angel says she is dizzy. Joshua moves closer Angel looked pale even for her. Sally tells him to take her in the house. Once inside Sally asks Angel does she still feel dizzy Angel nods and almost falls over from a standing position. Joshua didn't like this shit at all.

"I know its taboo but please be truthful are you perhaps drunk?" Joshua shoots her a glare. "Well you've certainly mastered Michael's shut up Sally look." She sees Angel squeeze his hand and some of the steel blue daggers left his icy glare as he turned back to her. Sally had taught deaf children and they had taught her a thing or two mainly how to read lips. What Angel told him well below whispering was. "Please stop before you make her mad. Then she'll never like me." Sally was about to say it was a running joke they had but Angel then addressed her.

"Mrs. Davenport I'm not drunk." Angel sighs and sits back in her seat. Joshua asks did she feel hot." No, I don't think you want to stand there your son must not like tacos excuse me" Joshua helps her to the bathroom where she gives the taco back to the toilet gods. Angel rinses out her mouth as she meets Joshua's gaze in the bathroom mirror. "You said I didn't need the sour cream. Life lesson learned. You know more about this area than I do." She puts her hand on her stomach. The dizzy, queasy feeling was subsiding. She says softly "Your mother thinks I'm a pregnant drunk, if I didn't make a first impression long time ago. I've made one now." Her eyes start to water as she drops her gaze from his in the mirror. He turns her around she put her head on his chest. "I fucked it up all over a damn taco." She says into his shirt.

Sally stood at the door. "Angela may I come in?" Joshua opens the door for her. "I don't think you can top your first impression. To you it was probably the fleeting memory of me and Michael waving at you through the window..." When Angel meets her gaze Sally felt for the girl. "Joshua, I'd like a word with your future." Angel lets him go and he walks out of the bathroom. "Have a seat dear." Angel sits on the bath chair. Sally wets a towel and wipes the running eyeliner off the girl's face she'd flinched but stayed as still as a doll until Sally backed up. She then meets Angel's eyes. "The first thing I thought, when I saw you today was wow she finally grew into all that hair. The first time I met you, you did something that I could not. While I provided a safer household, for my newly adopted son in a new town away from my other two children, ever since Chase Ivey drove you to our house in Pyramid. What you didn't see was the enormous smile that came across my son's face when you got out of your father's car and came to my door. For long periods of time I thought that Joshua would be angry forever" Sally stops for a moment "You gave and still give my son happiness and any mother that could dislike the woman that gives her baby boy a better outlook on life isn't really a mother. So stop wondering do I like you. I'll give you your answer once and for all. No." Angel gets up Sally hugs her, the girl tenses. "I stopped liking you 10 seconds after I met you." Angel pulls to be let free. Sally let her go and Angel backs up. "I've loved you ever since that smile claimed my baby's eyes. Now you're going to have my grandbaby. Joshua spends so much time keeping people at arm's length I thought I'd never live to see the day that he got married or became a father. Now come on out of here."

Out in the hall Joshua sits by the door to the bathroom with his head back on the wall. Michael Davenport walks up and claps him on the shoulder. "Are you spending the night? Or going back down the mountain to the fancy hotel?" Joshua gets up and shakes his dad's hand telling him yes they are staying at the hotel. "How's the house doing?" Joshua tells him fine. Joshua asks how he is. "I'm fine son you said we, so that means that you brought your gal?" Michael watches his ultra-serious son's eyes dance as he says yes. "Your mother was worried that y'all weren't coming. I told her she was being a fruit bat. Nice rental you got there." Joshua tells him it Angel's. "Well, nice truck. Joshua, I just wanted to come in here and tell you that I appreciate you coming up and helping us out.

"Bradley is still in jail right?" Michael sighs and says yes. "Just checking" Joshua says

Jonathon Invites Vivian to his Dallas location since Joshua and Angel are out of town he didn't have to worry about her just going up to The Davenport and messing with them. He gets out of his vehicle and heads into LEGNA. When he walks into the lobby he is surprised to see his niece. Megan sat on one of the stuffed chairs. "You've come for a tour?" When she looks up at him her eyes are puffy. "I have a meeting but come into my office." He didn't know why she'd been crying but he wanted to know because for whatever reason she came to him. He walks in after her, goes to his desk and turns on his monitoring system. He'd rather Megan be his only surprise he didn't want Vivian on-site with him none the wiser. He looks over at Megan she looks at his pictures he'd put up. "Is everything okay with your new son Glenny?"

Megan had driven from Mark and Paula's home in Pittsburg TX and soon found herself in Grandville in front of Angel's house. Logan was right and she'd hurt him. The following night he'd told her that he wasn't going to leave thanks to Glenn talking to him. He'd also told her to fix it and they would see where things went from there. So she was trying to fix it any way she could. "He's fine. Uncle Jonathon I'm so sorry about the other day. I went to the house and Frank wouldn't let me go in the gate. I've called Angel and I keep getting the same message it's not even her voice it's like Sophie's voice but a part of the Ivey Enterprises phone system. It keeps saying Angel Ivey is on Vacation and away from her desk but I'm calling her cellphone." She stops when he his look turns from concern to confused. No one had told him. "Oh shit" she thinks to herself.

"That's odd. She's out of town visiting." He calls Angel's phone and she picks up. "Honey Pot, Megan was trying to reach you. I thought you girls were on the mend. No she showed up here at my office." As Angel tells him the events of a few days ago he catches Megan's eye. "No it's not your responsibility to know all. I would in that position but that was completely uncalled for." Jonathon had to change the subject because even though his girl was hundreds of miles away he could hear the anxiousness in her tone. "Are you getting on with them? No everything is fine here. I have a feeling about him he wouldn't let anything happen. Well I just called to make sure it wasn't a blanket message or that your phone wasn't acting up. Take care. " His office phone rings as he is closing the call with Angel." No I just saw her enter. Thank You" he looks back up at Megan who is now pacing his office. "So you were rude and threatening and now you want what exactly? You, mentioned Frank, why did you see it as appropriate to go to her home?"

"I went driving, what she doesn't know is that Logan agrees with her. He almost left me because of her. I thought she was being funny. Hind sight is always 20/20 I know my actions were rude. I didn't see them as threatening. I really still don't, I had her but I wasn't hitting her or anything. The next thing I know she yells three and sprays me."

"Your Hind Sight needs glasses." Jonathon gets up walks around his desk. "Turn around, now I know this is completely different but I want you to think of the situation. You're Angel. You're thinking you've just escaped a potentially tense situation." He suddenly grabs her from behind and partially dips her. "Your Pregnant, and afraid of what at this point?" He sighs and puts her on her feet. "As I said before this was probably a poor example because you know I had no intention of doing you harm. The point I'm trying to get you to see is Angel did not have that trust that you would not harm her. Megan you're kin and I love you, but there is no next chance. Leave my girl alone." She says Logan told her to fix it. "Sometimes you must live with your bad choices. Everything can't be fixed with I'm sorry. I'm saying this as someone that loves you. You're too angry. Go home raise your son and calm down your anger is not healthy for you or your newly adopted son. Logan wasn't leaving you over Angel he is tired of the complete insanity of your actions towards a person of your own bloodline, which you haven't even known for a year. Go home to your husband and don't try to contact my daughter anymore or we will have issue."

Megan walks to the door. She looks back at her Uncle. He stood at his desk in a closed off stance as if he was holding himself in place. Sighing she walks out the door and towards the lobby to leave. He was right she had hurt so many people and putting out and I'm sorry wasn't going to do it this time around.

Vivian walks towards Jonathon's office and sees a redhead thinking it is Angel as the redhead walks down the hall with her head down. Vivian gets an Idea, she runs up behind the redhead and pushes her into the wall. "Where is your crew now Bitch. Joshua's mine." She kicks the woman but when she grabs her hair screaming "Viv Gets what Viv wants" she notices for the first time that it isn't Angel. "Oh shit, I'm sorry" She helps the dazed woman to her feet.

Megan had to sit down she'd hit the wall too damn hard and then had been kicked in her back. She hears more running suddenly the woman is handcuffed and Jonathon comes through the throng of security personnel to stand in front of her. He turns to the woman who tells him she thought it was Angel. Jonathon puts both hands up and steps back. Megan had seen that move so many times before from her own brother and her grandfather it was a sign of self-restraint. "I was going to recommend you join another band instead of firing you. You have talent, but you are for lack of a better word, bat shit crazy. You stirred up a lot of trouble and now you have moved up the ladder to attacking my kin. There is no place for you here at LEGNA." She tells him that she wasn't waiting around for him to call the cops. She tries to head-butt one of the security guards. They take her down. "You don't have to wait, these men and woman have police power, and you have just attempted to assault one." He bends down and whispers in her ear her eyes widened and he tells them to get her out of here.

Megan rubs at her forehead and her fingers come away with blood on them. That would explain the wetness. Jonathon sits next to her. He points at someone and waves them over. A woman in scrubs comes over and asks Megan a few questions then tends to cleaning her up. One of the female officers come over and asks Megan did she want to press charges. She says hell yes. Jonathon asks her did she want him to call Logan to come get her. She tells him that Logan was at home with Glenny and Logan's arm was in a sling because of her. He asks her did she need to go to the hospital she says no. He tells her that he'd have her driven home.

An hour and a half later after getting word that Megan was now at home. Jonathon walks in his office and slams the door. He tells the receptionist to hold his calls and cancel his 4 pm appointment. He dials Gloria's number. "I tried to remain detached as you suggested. That failed she attacked Megan thinking she was Angel. If Vivian had of sent my girl into the fucking wall, detached professionalism only goes so far she has been arrested and right now it is the safest place for her. I have verbally fired her put it in writing and remove her fucking file."

"John I know you're tired. I'll put her packet together and send her the paperwork. Is Megan ok?" He says she was dazed for a bit but seemed more herself shortly after. "I'm glad you let the police handle her and didn't harm her. If you want me to I will draft a promo for a local audition to replace Vivian Arrow." She heard his anger but she'd learned long ago that his wolf coin had two sides. Most people backed off but if you knew what was behind his aggressive nature you understood how to work with him. She heard the growl in his tone but she also knew Jonathon Leonel McBride listened to facts and nothing more at this point her facts spoke for themselves the songs Angel sang with the band trended more in an half hour than the rest of the performance. Oh yes Joshua and Deon were cute, the drummer was great, but most of the pictures were of Angel and story after story that she'd joined forces with the local band formally known as Davenport Lighting. "John what I'm about to suggest I want you and Personal Touch to think about. I saw the performance the one with Angel singing lead at the Grand Opening concert. If Joshua would agree you may want to just have Angel sing lead the 5 of them play and sound very good. I want to send you comments left on our site from fans that were there. It's just a thought." He tells her he has a lot to do. "Tonight go home, don't stay at work until you fall on your face, go home get some rest." He tells her he's going to work on his new home he needs to do something physical that wouldn't land him in jail. Then he will go home. "Fair enough goodnight Love you."

When she ends the call she stares mortified at what she had said. He was her boss she ran the Ireland office only because he wanted to go back to the US and he couldn't be in two places. He made her a Partner but he was the owner. He'd called her on her cellular phone. He knew she would be home by now. It was 9:30pm in Dublin but only 4:30pm in the states. If he asked she'd blame it on being tired. Her work log which he had told her she no longer had to keep would prove to him in writing, that she had a long day. He now had staff in the US office he would call her less frequently once his new assistant learned "to keep up or go home" As he was famous for telling his Dublin staff. Gloria smiles at the memory of him coming in early one morning and being completely out of control, he'd turned to her and told her that they were to have a meeting and to bring her laptop. That was the day he'd made her partner. The next day he left for the states. She now lay in her bed looking at his picture on her phone he was calling her back. "Goodnight John" she whispers to the picture of him when he was either leaving her a message or had hung up. She turns her phone off then turns over and goes to sleep.

Sophie and Luke are driven to his home he'd invited her there for the 4th. He stayed in a condo on the hill just beyond the south border of Grandville South. They pull up in front. "I've taken the liberty of ordering and having some food sent up that I believe you will enjoy." They walk in and it looked smaller on the outside. It had his style new modern, lots of decorative art that depicted the industrial art era. His sunken living room was a matching Black leather couch and loveseat trimmed in silver with an in wall entertainment center framed in black. The kitchen was small but opened into the dining room. He walks over and turns on some music. "Have a seat though I'm not a cook I still would like to set the table they say go with your strengths." He says with a smile.

His smile was surly infectious "Oh I bet you had a blast feeding yourself in med school." Sophie says as she has a seat on the couch. She wore a red and black mini dress with her favorite MK heels. He pops his head out of the opening over the breakfast bar and says that he really didn't have as hard of a time as most, he could afford to do take out or at the very least go home and have meals at his parent's home. "Well I guess so with your father being one of the top internist in the country. I cooked in college I didn't have to worry about dorm life. I had an apartment near the college. As you know I went to Howard University I kept the apartment in D.C. until Angel bought the Florida house that my parents lived in for my mother. My dad sold her Ivey Mansion for 1 dollar then paid the dollar." Sophie smiles at the memory of the look on Sophia's face when her usually passive father put his foot down that they were moving into the house that Angel had purchased for them end of story. Her father was full of surprises he usually had a devil-may-care attitude around the family. In business he was the aggressive analytical personality that wanted things done now. Even in retirement he'd started up a committee to save Grandville from itself. Or from the husbands of the wanna be street gang of the GSSEC.

Luke comes into the room and asks for her arm. When they walk in the dining room the food is set up and everything looks delicious. "So do you know how to barbeque? If not this little time you have off may be spent back at my place." He assures her that cooking on a grill he knew just not cooking indoors. They eat and he suggests dessert in front of the TV with a movie. When finished eating dinner he tells her he'll clean up while she selects the movie. "So is there anything you don't watch?" He tells her unless she wanted him throwing things at the screen or correcting them, no medical type movies please. "Oh this 12 hour ER marathon looks so good" he visibly cringes and she cracks up laughing.

As he walks out into the living room he says. "I thought you at least liked me." He smiles and sets a covered tray down in front of them. He sits down beside her and just watches her as she reads the guide. Every time he looked at her the same thing happened a little voice tells him it's her. She catches him staring at her. "I have something for you. For almost 2 months we have been dating exclusively. Sophie you've given me a social life whenever we are together we make each other laugh either at something out side of us, or at each other, or even at ourselves. He runs his hands through his hair and stands, walks across the room and asks her to hit 4 on the remote. When she dose an instrumental of the song (_**Anything)**_ by the group 3T comes on, and he sings. By the end he is back over near her he gets on both knees in front of her. She puts her hands up to her face. He hoped she wasn't laughing at him. "Sophie Elaine Ivey will you marry me?" He opens a Tiffney's box and takes her hand from her face. She wasn't laughing but it also wasn't a look of yes. She tells him she had to go. He gets to his feet and turns off the music sighing he says. "I understand it is way too soon. I'm sorry. Please don't leave."

Sophie had been here before yes they had wonderful times together but she'd said yes to Julius before and it hadn't happened. Luke sat on the couch holding the velvet box with his head down. "Was this the only reason you invited me up here?"

He looks over and tells her "Yes and no. I asked you up here to ask you in a quiet setting. I also meant what I said about you staying for the fireworks tomorrow. I really did take off no pager, no nothing just to spend some much needed time with you while you're not in the middle of a case or I'm not up to my ears in work. You still don't get me do you? When I said that I would be perfectly ok with just hanging out I was serious. I've told you this before but from the first time you walked in my office it was like an electric current ran through me."

She appreciated his honesty "I'm not saying no but right now at this very moment I just can't say yes. It would be for your benefit and that's not how I want to make this decision." He says he understands because it is a major decision that he is asking her to make. He gets up and puts the box back in his drawer.

As he walks back into the living room he says. "Let's have some dessert and watch some movies shall we?" He sits next to her, takes the top off the tray and strawberries and chocolate greet her eyes. He dips one and feeds it to her. He gets some on her cheek and kisses it off. "Yum, my favorite" She laughs and tells him he is a goof. She dips one and offers it to him. He takes it and sucks her finger. Laughing with his eyes when she tries to withdraw her finger, he lets go and says "like I said my favorite flavor." She asks was he talking about the dessert. "Since you take me a little too seriously sometimes I'm going to clarify. I don't mean it in a cannibalistic kind of way but I love the smell and taste of you. I'm not going to eat you or anything unless you want me to." He wags his eyebrows at her in a cocky smile. After they finish feeding each other the strawberries he gets up and pulls her to her feet. "I have another surprise for you. For this I would like to blindfold you. It a sensory technique I'd love to try with you. Since you are a fellow intellectual you'll want to do this because it's purely for science, and if it doesn't work I'll never do it again."

"Well only because it's purely for science. Goof ball" she giggles. He blindfolds her taking care not to tangle her hair in the Velcro straps that held it in place. He guides her towards the kitchen. Nope she was heading toward his bedroom. She smelled his aftershave stronger in here. He lays her down taking her stockings and underwear off she hears them hit the floor. He was that quiet. He gets up and fastens something around her waist then snaps could be heard. She tingled all over because of his light touches and pure anticipation of his next move. He tells her to lift her arms she was now standing on his bed. When she lifts her hands her left hand bumps into a rope. He moves her hand and tells her no cheating. He slowly slides her dress over her head. He was driving her crazy he knew it. He kisses up her torso, blowing and making her shiver. He then undoes her blind fold and she could see him but he'd turned out the light. He glowed in the moon light coming in through his window. He'd put her in a sex swing. "Well hot damn the Doctor is kinky." He pleasures her until she thinks she's going to soar into orbit. Just when she thought he had to be done he'd do something else. When she was on the verge of begging him to stop he undoes the swing and lays her down sending her into orbit and following. Breathing heavy he gets up and disposed of the protection and lays down with her. Catching her own breath she says "I think your science worked." He soon falls asleep she lays on his chest. Kissing his muscular chest she softly says "Happy 4th of July Luke."

Hours earlier Angel stares out the window of their hotel room. Cassandra was not present today but Joshua spoke to her on the phone. Sally said she'd be home on the 4th. They were only here today and tomorrow. Joshua had gone out for snacks they had eaten but baby boy wanted her brand of peanut butter and a small jar of pickles. Sally liked her that was a relief. Michael liked her as well but Sally was who she was most worried about. Finding out her question about being a drunk was a joke on how Joshua used to get inner ear infections and fall over and she'd ask him if he's drunk. She smiles as she remembers Michael retelling the story as only he could. Angel had seen Sally in an old picture standing with the GSSEC. Not wanting any surprises Angel asked her about it when they both went in the kitchen. Sally told her that she thought she made enough to make a difference but she guessed not. When she asks Angel was she part of the group. Angel makes a face then laughs telling her future mother-in-law that the group didn't make any changes all those women did, were sit around, drink, talk about people, and shop. When Sally asked her how she knew if she wasn't a member. Angel had clammed up. She was afraid that her link to Sophia would ruin her relationship with Sally. Sally made the connection for her. Saying she would have never guessed that Sophia Ivey ruler of Grandville South was her mother. She'd apologized for Angel's loss. Angel stayed quiet until they left.

Her phone rings it's just turned 11:30pm answering she hears what sounded like crackling. "Hello… Hello?"

"You're pregnant again but it's too late. Sophia knew you were pregnant the first time. It was a part of the agreement." Angel says she is going to hang up now. "Go head and I'll send you lover off the mountain." Angel asks her what she wants. "I just want to share with you. Of course by the time you send out the right people to find out if what I am saying is true it will be burned to the ground. Glad to know I have your attention. Your first child was to be a gift to your mother. Braden had planned on getting you pregnant while you slept and he did. Sophia was angry at you because she saw it as you destroyed her plan for a child. She didn't want to get fat at her age. You would have been a perfect surrogate mother. If you had of been further along Braden would have just took the baby." Angel tells whoever it is that was insane and she would have never let her mother have her child. "Dear you would not have had a choice you would have been kidnapped the baby was not to be harmed that was the only rule you were just the Incubator. Sophia was going to get as much money as she could from Chase and she, her baby, and Braden were going to live happily ever after. Think about it dear it would have passed for her child and it would have been his. The plan was excellent the players were flawed and now that they are dead. I'm going to do my organization and your mother a favor and destroy the evidence that would tie me into all this. I was supposed to get a sizable donation you couldn't even get as far as you are now. Though it won't fund my next case I think I'll still send your lover off the mountain. Goodnight Angela." The voice purrs and hangs up.

Angel quickly dials Joshua it goes to voicemail. Her whole body trembled as she spoke "Joshua please, call me back please oh please be okay" Angel paced the room she dials his number again Voice mail. She leaves the same message only more hurriedly than the last time. She felt hot she calls Sally when she picks up Angel is crying and trying to speak "I can't get in touch with Joshua. I'm so sorry he went for a snack for me and then…and then someone called that knows we are up here they threaten to… to send him off the mountain." Angel's vision was blurred she didn't know whether it was by her tears or what, but she felt foggy. "I can't lose him" she passes out falling to the floor.

On the phone Sally screams "ANGELA!" She heard the phone fall at least she hoped it was just the phone. Not wanting to hang up she grabs the house phone and calls the police. Angel wasn't answering and Joshua was missing. They tell her that since Joshua was a grown man he could not be a missing person for 36 hours. Sally begged the operator to please go check on her daughter. The operator hung up. Sally's eyes narrow as she gets out of bed. Michael looks at her and asks where she was going. "WE are going to see about Angel and on the way I'm going to pray that Joshua is okay, while you call him on his cell phone." When he turns over and tells her she is being a fruit bat. She smacks him on the butt. "Let's go Mike." Michael gets out of bed and sleepily walks toward the door. She marches to the front door and swings it open with her phone to her ear. The burst of cold night mountain air shook the massive living room window as it was let into the house.

Cassandra was walking up the stairs as Sally was running down them. "Mom where's the fire?" Sally yells at the Mayor office, if the police don't move their asses. She then tells her to come with her and call her brother. "Mom Bradly can't have calls what's going on?" Sally says not Brad but Joshua. "He's technically not my brother" Cassandra stepped in her way "NO you're not going anywhere until you tell me why you are still helping him. Haven't you played mommy enough."

For the first time in her life Sally Lu Davenport slapped her daughter. She then screams "He's my son. If you won't help then you're in the fucking way." She pushes a shocked Cass out of the way, gets in her car and backs out of the garage. She still hadn't heard movement on the phone. Joshua was calling her. She had to answer his call. " Oh god where are you? Angela was trying to get a hold of you. I tried to calm her down." He says his phone had no bars when he was in the store. "I called the police Angel dropped the phone and it has been too quiet over there. I'm on my way, how far are you?" He says he 5 minutes tops. "Don't speed Joshua, she was crying and carrying on, all I know is that if something happens to that girl, I'm going up to the Mayor's advisory council and slap them all silly. I have to click back over on this thing how do I do it?" he asks her why was she going to slap the Mayor's advisory council "Why because I called and told them you were missing and then I told them to go check on my daughter and the bitch hung up on me." A Police car, Ambulance, and a Fire truck zip past her. "I think the cow at the very least sent someone to check on her they just went past me. Yes they are turning. I see you I think. He hits the interior lights on and off. "Yup that's you. I'm behind you now." She pulls up alongside him.

He gets out of the truck and turns around in a complete circle. Sally gets out and gives him her phone. Saying the other call had not disconnected. He ends the call with himself, putting her phone to his ear, and takes off running. "Angel, babe, tell me something make a noise." He says into the phone. When he charges into the hotel and up the stairs he hears something but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to hear Angel not the resounding all too familiar drop of a call tone.

Angel is brought into wakefulness when counting is heard and she is lifted. When she opens her eyes a strange man is looking back at her. He looked like Luke "You're everywhere." Alarm bells went off in her head when he asked her what happened in a curt tone. She had to find Joshua and tries to sit up the man holds her in place, and threaten to strap her down. "Oh please don't." He asks what happened. "I don't. Oh no, it hurts. I can't lose him." Angel fights the urge to cry. She was hurting. The darkness claims her once more.

Joshua charges into the room with Sally on his heels. Sally pulls Joshua back telling him to please keep out of the way. "This is bullshit" he pulls away from her. A Chinese man walks over and tells them to back up. "Where are you taking her I have to ride with her?" The man says if he is in her network he can, if not he will have to get permission. "That's no problem, if you don't see my name I know her emergency contact numbers. My name's Joshua Davenport." The man scrolls down his on his iPad and says the fiancé. "Yes sir." The man tells him that they were going to air lift her into her network saying the nearest was in Napoli Texas on the North West edge of Texas near Dell City at the Sheldon and Barns Medical Center. "What happened?"

The tech says that "She needed oxygen we found her on the floor. She was awake for a time but the only thing she told us was she can't lose him. Her name was given by the person that called and it pops up under the Sheldon Network with strict instruction for her not to be admitted outside of her network to any hospital that didn't have the Sheldon award. We are a county hospital on the 4th of July. Most of the staff is students."

Joshua tells him "You're the medical professional long as it is safe for her." The med helicopter lands in the parking lot. They load Angel. Joshua turns around and hugs his mother tightly. "I got to go. I'll call you." He follows the Med-Tech out and gets in the helicopter. Angel starts moaning and talking he knew she wasn't fully awake. "Babe come on open your eyes, I'm not gone. I'm right here." He takes her hand in his, they have her on oxygen. When she opens her eyes and sees him her eyes fill with tears. He bends down and says "Please calm down. I know you're freaked out right now." He rubs a thumb under her eye catching a tear. "It's going to be okay."

At the hospital Joshua sits in another row of ugly orange chairs. His eyes are closed but he is far from sleep. Angel kept passing out. For the second time in less than 4 days Joshua prayed for his Angel and his son to be okay. When he saw the blood, once again the anger that he held close as a shield was replaced by pure trepidation. He called Jonathon. "I don't need you going bat shit because I didn't inform you on what's going on." Jonathon says what happened. "Angel passed out again. I saw blood this time she's in the hospital. No not in Colorado, she was air lifted to a place inside her network here in Texas. Yes Middlebrooks has been informed. " His conversation with Sophie went further. He sent her the address she said she'd be on her way. He calls his mother Sally lets him know that she managed to get Michael to drive Angel's truck back up to the house and take her things that were left behind.

The Corrigan building in London was set on fire last night or early this morning. Chase calls Sophie and she was about to call him to let him know that Angel was in the hospital. He tells her about the building and that he has to go. Sophie tells him to add Angel's location to the flight plan. He says will do and tells her he'll have a car sent to pick her up. Sophie got up out of bed. Luke slept like the dead. She stands there watching him for a time. This was probably the most sleep he'd gotten all week. Something bugged her something about the London building she calls Bobby and tells him to review the recording of the call that was on her phone. Then tells him he might want to go with Chase to keep him out of trouble. He calls her bossy and tells her Chase had already called him to go with. Sophie showers and changes into what she was going to wear today, it wasn't as casual but it would have to do. When she walks back in the room to find her heels Luke was sitting up in bed staring at her. "You're leaving, do I snore or something?" she tells him what's going on. "I'm coming with you. If I make it there before Middlebrooks I already have access to her file." He grabs a shirt and pants running into the bathroom. When he emerges his pants were hanging off his hips he grabs a belt. Throwing socks and shoes on he gets ready just in time the car pulls up.

Chase calls Jonathon "Are you still at your home in Grandville South?" Jonathon starts to tell him about Angel, Chase cuts him off and tells him "Don't make any plans one of us should be there with her. I can't this time. I'm sending a car to pick you up. We'll land in El Paso and a car will be waiting for you there to take you in to Napoli Texas. Are you are ready now?" Jonathon tells him yes. "Alright"

Joshua sits in the waiting room. He'd sat back down because every time the door opened he'd run towards it and had already scared the hell out of a nurse. One of the receptionists walks around the desk. "Hey sugar would you like to fill these out while you wait please?" He sat there rocking his fear was now fueling his anger. He tells her that all of Angela's information was provided through the fact that she was in the network. He also tells her the next time she called him sugar she had better follow it with some information about his fiancé's condition. Or he'd report her to the chief of staff for being a pest. She says "I'm sorry it's only my second day and you looked so sad and alone out here. I was just trying to give you something to do. Your right sir I was very unprofessional. It won't happen ever again. Please don't report me." When he made eye contact with her his steely blue glare made her get back behind the counter.

Dr. Middlebrooks walks out the back "I see your future sister in-law took my advice about putting you on as one of Angela's medical contacts." He stands when she walks toward him. To the common eye he may have looked relaxed she saw his eyes and they told off on him every time. "Come with me" he follows her through the doors. "I was able to bring the baby's heart beat back up to a normal pattern." Joshua seems to take a breath. "I think I know but I never take what I see or hear for granted. Did you tell her you were leaving her or anything that would give that impression? If there is a problem now is the time to tell it."

Joshua shakes his head and tells her "I went for a snack for her. I came out of the store and all hell breaks loose. She was half out of it in the med helicopter she kept saying something like I was gone. All this was because she thought I left her? My mother called the police and tried to report me missing. I have no idea why she thinks I would leave her at all, but more importantly in another state?"

"She is still not fully herself. Before it was for the baby's sake I'm saying it now because Angel herself is at risk. Its good your mother called and had someone sent out. When Angel passed out her oxygen level dropped dangerously low by the time you got there the med tech had given her some oxygen. As of now she is okay a little disoriented but her levels are climbing. I have run some test and I have her on a monitor for the duration of today she is to remain here. It's one thing to have a panic attack it's another to pass out and have your breathing slow down to where you are at risk of it stopping." Joshua looks down. Thinking he was disappointed because he had plans she continues "I know it's the 4th of July and you both admitted to having plans but…"

Joshua looks back at her "She met who I wanted her to meet and even if she didn't. I don't I give a shit what day it is. The days I care about are" he put up a hand and counts them off on his fingers. "I care when she gets to leave here and go home. I care what day we get married. I care about her birthday, ONLY because she tries to give everyone else a great birthday and hers is usually spent on the road. I care what day my son will be born. Any other day I could give less than a damn. " She tells him to take a deep breath and push it out. She says again. He does the exercise and then asks in a more calm tone "Can I please see Angel?" she tells him yes and points behind him to a room. They had been standing in front of her door. "Thanks doc" Joshua walks into the room. Where did she think he was going? He wonders. He had to find out what the hell was going on. Her episodes were getting worse.

He looked so confused when he walked in. Angel was happy to see him. Between her dream and the call "Joshua I'm so glad you're here." He sat on the side of the bed Angel scoots over giving him room. "I thought you were gone."

Joshua closes his eyes when he opens them he says. "That's the part I don't get babe, you google mapped the store we picked it since it was the closest. I went in and found your stuff I noticed I had no signal in the store because I was going to call you and tell you they didn't have Jiff but they had Skippy. I come out of the store and there are 15 messages waiting on me. I called my mother first because she never calls late. Whatever you told her before you passed out. She tried to report me missing. Angel what happened Middlebrooks thinks I told you I was leaving you. Babe, I'm not going anywhere. Did you take a nap and wake up confused what happened?" She says she so happy he's okay, as she wipes her eyes.

He leans over and hugs her to him. She hugs him back. He asks her again what brought all this on. She tells him about the call. When she gets to the part about them sending him off the mountain she just squeezed him tighter. "The voice was more female than male but it was being vamped that much I know. I heard her speaking but the words didn't sink in until I called your phone and it went straight to voicemail. If she or he was cruel enough to help Sophia come up with a plan like that, I just knew they would be cruel enough to try to make good on a threat on your life. All I kept thinking was if something happened to you it would be because of me. I was so afraid"

He feels her shaking leans back and tells her "Stop, please don't get yourself worked up again. No one even approached me I'm fine. I don't know who it is but this has to stop." She suddenly asks him to pinch her. "I'm not going to pinch you." She explains that she didn't want this to be her asleep and dreaming he was here and okay then wake alone. He closes his eyes and tells her "Do you trust me?" he then watches as she nods her head. She still looked uncertain. "Okay you want some stimuli that would wake you if this was a dream." He tells her to close her eyes she complies, he kisses her and gently nips her bottom lip. Her eyes fly open meeting his. "Like I sad you're awake and I'm still right here with you. You're not alone."

The door opens drawing both of their attention. Sophie followed by Luke and Jonathon walks in. Luke glances at her chart on his iPad and says "Well if you wanted a tour of the network you're going about it the wrong way. I wasn't expecting to see your name in the hospital again until Jr. comes out." Joshua leans down and whispers something in her ear making her smile. Jonathon asks Joshua for a moment of his time. He gets up an Angel follows his movement with her eyes. Her action is not lost on Luke who sits in a chair by the window. Sophie asked Luke out of the room so she can speak with her sister. When they are the only two in the room Sophie asks "Angel what happened" She had been briefed by Middlebrooks just as Joshua had.

Angel tells her what the caller said about the plan to take her first baby. She runs a hand through her hair. "She was going to leave Chase and run off with my baby." Sophie stood dumb struck she says that's insane it would have never worked. "I told the person that I would have never let that woman raise my child. She had a comeback for it. If my child had of been old enough to deliver they would have kidnapped me and taken him or her by force. That's why Sophia was so mad that I didn't tell her I was in the hospital her plan to stay thin and have a baby had went up in smoke along with the life of my baby." Angel starts crying "Sophie I wanted to hang up, but they threatened Joshua's life they knew we were up there. The person said they would send him off the mountain. When I called him I left a message. I called back and still no answer. All that went through my head is he was gone because of me. I called his mother and tried to tell her but I don't even remember what I said to her. I got hot and then the next thing I remember is seeing Joshua it was loud and I was afraid I dreamed him alive and I'd wake up and he wouldn't be. Then I woke up here. Sophie someone is keeping better tabs on my whereabouts than I am. All I knew is that we were driving to see his parents. I didn't set anything in to my GPS. He said he knew how to get there and he did. I didn't post on social media. So I don't know how they knew where I was. I only set the away message for Megan's number and even then I don't say away where." Sophie hugs her telling her to take a breath and to please calm down before Dr. Middlebrooks puts them all out.

Out in the hall Jonathon waits for Joshua. Joshua comes out and closes the door his stance was guarded. "What happened? I spoke to Dr. Middlebrooks"

Seeing that Jonathon was not going to swing on him, Joshua walks to the end of the hall with Jonathon walking by his side. "Well l just spoke to Angel before you guys got here and someone called her and when she threaten to hang up they told her go ahead and they would throw me off the fucking mountain." Jonathon asks what the caller said since obviously Angel didn't hang up because he was not thrown from the mountain. "That's the thing no one approached me. I'm not that easy to sneak up on. They were watching me or her they either knew she was alone or they know that most people can't get signal in that damn store." He then tells Jonathon about the rest of the call.

"Well if it is true that would explain the fire." Joshua looked alarmed and asked where the fire was. "The reason Chase isn't here is because his London location was either set a flame or it caught fire on its own. From what you are saying it looks more like arson. I aim to find out who is behind the call." Jonathon sighs "It's times like this that I wish I could have taken my girl as far away from my ex as possible. Even in death Sophia leaves a stain." Joshua turns away from him. "You're no angrier than I, but right now she doesn't need our anger. I don't know if you noticed but she's still afraid."

"She still has night terrors only this time she won't tell me what they are of saying when she wakes she'd rather forget. She's not getting enough sleep and now Dr. Middlebrooks is worried about her being disoriented longer than usual after passing out this time. When I got back to the hotel they were loading Angel on the gurney and she had to have a breathing treatment to bring her levels back up before they could even air lift her out of CO."

Luke walks into Middlebrooks "Sorry I was heading out for coffee did you need any?" Sandra says it was his network and she didn't want to pry but why was he here? He had taken off which was a miracle in itself. "Then don't" She says that she noticed he showed up a lot when she was working with Angel. "If you must know I'm not here on the clock I came to lend a hand to a family I respect. Sandra don't pry it's beneath you. I didn't know whether you were in this area yet. So coffee?"

"Dr. Sheldon may I have a word with you? I know you've just said you're not on shift..." He nods since he had an office in every hospital he selected to go in there. Walking in the office and closing the door behind them both. Luke turns to her and asks what she needed. "Angela's test results are back I found something that gives me pause. I first diagnosed her with a Panic disorder but her symptoms and her test results tell a different story. I thought she had a panic attack but her recovery time up to this point was faster. I was able to bring the baby's levels back up. Her oxygen level was so low they had to give her oxygen before they could even get her stable enough for transport. This mind you she doesn't have seizer disorder. This test result is the one I question. " She hands him her IPad.

Luke points out when the seizer happened. "From what you are telling me it's psychogenic in nature. It doesn't mean she had to have a dormant elliptic disorder for this to happen. It is good that the med crew got there when they did. Angel is a very passive but hyper personality type. This was caused by her amount of stress and anxiety. So you were partially right she had a panic attack when it was not dealt with in a timely manner she seized. I am concerned for not only the child but she could hurt herself. I'm glad you were able to bring Angel's levels back up, there was mention of blood loss?"

"Though, that was a warning sign for me to check the baby's levels. It wasn't what it appeared to be. It turned out that it was surface injury. She told me she felt pain. Now that I know more of what happened her muscles were probably very sore from all the activity." She tries to hide a yarn.

Luke yarns as well points at her "Stop that" he says with a grin "My offer for coffee is still on the table. Did you have to come far? How long have you been awake?"

"I'd love some coffee and as far as your other two questions Lucky for me, my husband made it a point for me to ask for this 3 days off so sleep isn't a major factor. I took Sheldon Medical or Ivey Transit whatever it is called either way a Helicopter and a limo was involved."

Luke knew what she meant most of his upper level staff used Ivey Transit so much it received the nickname of Sheldon Medical Transit long before he even became a doctor. His father was Chase's best friend when Chase came up with the transit Idea his father jumped on board. Luke knew 42% of Ivey Transit's business came from his doctors and himself traveling. "If the coffee doesn't do it for you just let me know. Barns should be here soon."

"Will do, I don't want him in her room. I respect him as the genius he is but Dr. Kris Barns has a tendency to be very aggressive with patients and he has caused issue with some of my patients in the past."

"I've never had any reports on him from patients aggressive how?" She tells him of one of her patients that was admitted here last summer and the fact that the person's whole family moved to Houston as to not be near this location anymore. "I'm going to check with a few more doctors that are here more frequently than you or I. If he is using the (I'm in charge) approach it's great if you can pull it off. I've seen it with my father I do it too, we all do but you have to know when to back off. Send me something in writing and tell me when you are ready to leave. If he goes into that room with that as his usual bedside manner, one of two things will happen, Sophie will have him for breakfast or I also don't need Joshua or Mr. McBride going upside his head." Luke tells Sandra if they are done he'll go grab the coffee.

Sandra reenters Angela's room Angel looks tired but at least her tracking was back to normal as she spoke to Sophie which meant some of the disorientation had lifted. She confirms her test findings Joshua had walked in while she was speaking. After telling about the seizer and explaining the difference of the kind that Angela had she mentioned the blood and the fact that it was surface and not related to the baby everyone in the room seemed to take a breath. Sophie tells her that she was going to find Angel someone that could help her deal with her stress among other things.

Angel speaks up. "Sophie, thank you for the offer but I'm not going to anyone but Dr. Middlebrooks for therapy I just can't, Dr. Sandra at the very least knows that I'm not crazy."

Sophie knew where that statement came from but she wouldn't go there, not now. She had just changed the topic and got Angel talking about the baby shower and the wedding. Sophia had caused a lot of shit, and she wasn't going to bring up the bitch's attempt to get her sister committed. "Angel, as long as you feel comfortable that's all that matters. I'm going to go check on dad and see if he has arrived yet." Sophie purposely makes eye contact with Dr. Middlebrooks. Two minutes after she leaves the room Sandra comes out and is not surprised to see her standing near Luke's office. "We need to talk." Middlebrooks produces a key to the office and they walk in. "While I was out here I looked you up so you are certified to hold a therapy session. I had intended on recommending Angel get help but I didn't know how to bring it up. Our mother was not a mother she was manipulative and very mentally abusive to Angel. I don't know how much you know but I'm going to tell you now. I had my shrink sign one of these." Sophie looks through her phone and sends Dr Middlebrooks an e-sign document "If you intend on writing a book or any of my sister's care, show up in a medical Journal and I get wind of it. You won't have to worry about practicing anywhere are we understood?"

"Ms. Ivey I am very aware of Sophia's mistreatment and some other things that Angela felt comfortable enough to let slip. I'm well aware of her mistrust in psychiatric help, and its root. Though I am published I always get written consent from my patients before I proceed to avoid conversations like this one. Angela refused to sign so in this instance our agreement is that my records will be the only thing written about the sessions." Sandra e-signs the document and sends it back. Sophie gets her email back and thanks the doctor. "You're welcome, I understand your concern. She needs rest I'm not saying you all must leave the hospital but I would greatly appreciate it if you all weren't in the room at the same time."

The next morning Angel is brought awake by a strange feeling like someone is watching her. When she opens her eyes she meets Dr. Kris Barns grey stare. Angel jerks at his nearness which wakes up Joshua who'd fell asleep in the reclining chair with his hand on her stomach she'd had her hand resting on his arm. He lifts his head and his usually straight light brown hair is mussed. He gets up and watches the doctor stare at Angel. "You're one creepy ass dude can we help you?"

The Doctor doesn't even acknowledge Joshua's presence as he starts speaking "Angela Ivey you're being released today. I didn't even know you were here until today. I'm Dr. Kris Barns. I don't know why you would be on this floor it is usually for domestic protection purposes or government types. He turns to Joshua "sir step out of the room."

"The hell I will." Joshua is standing on one side of Angel and the doctor on the other. He says they all have a job to do and his is to leave. "For what reason? Where is her regular doctor?" He ignore Joshua once more, putting his glasses with a light on as he tells Angel the only way they could proceed was for him to give her a final exam Joshua noticed the Doctor walk closer to the bed he also didn't miss Angel trying to scoot closer to his side. "Hey Doc Fall Back you don't have to be that close. As far as me leaving the room it's Angel's choice not yours."

"Leave now or I'll have you removed. If she wishes to tell you everything I say to her that is her business but I will not fall back and I resent the fact that you think this is the means streets of Dallas. I'm going to give you one more chance then I call security GOOD BYE"

Angel didn't want to be in the room alone with this creepy rude asshole "He's my fiancé anything you have to say to me he can hear. He's in my network. Where is Dr. Middlebrooks?"

Dr. Kris Barns says "Dr. Middlebrooks sent me because she is busy it happens. Since he won't leave the room I'm calling security" He lifts his pen-com to his lips. Joshua tells them both that he will be just outside. He watches as the young man walks backwards out of the room. He turns his attention back on Angel. He listens to her heart when he touches her back she tenses. "Are my hands cold?" She doesn't say anything just stares towards the door and flinches every time he moves the pad on her back. "Breathe in really deep" he places a hand on her shoulder and her air bursts out in a whimper as he put the pad lower.

He was making her more uncomfortable she tries to breathe in deep enough for him to hear but when he lowers the pad to her lower back she jerked breathing out. He asked her was his hands cold. She closed her eyes. He was just different from Luke or Middlebrooks everyone has a different style she kept saying in her head. She wished she could at least see Joshua. The blinds on her door were closed. When he puts his hand on her shoulder, and tells her to breath in once more, she complies.

The minute Joshua backed out of the room before he closed the door he noticed the damn blinds were closed. He wouldn't be able to see her. Or watch Dr. Creepy. He tries to reopen the door but found it locked. He bolts down the hall and tells Sophie since she had a keycard. At first Sophie is wondering why Joshua wasn't still in the room when he tells her about how even Angel wanted him to stay but the prick threaten to call security. Luke comes out of the men's room. Joshua walks over and says. "I don't know why she sent that asshole in there but he is freaking Angel out. It needs to stop now." Luke puts up a hand silently telling Joshua not to walk up on him. He dials Middlebrooks's number. Getting Voicemail he has her paged.

"I told her to call me before she went off shift." Luke walks into his office along with Joshua and Sophie. He checks the time clock she didn't clock out. "Stay here I'll be right back." He walks down the hall something wasn't right. He picks up his pace suddenly he stops, turning around slowly he looks at Angela's door. He walks into the observation room next to it. He sees her at the desk. "What the hell are you doing? I paged you I called you why did you send that prick in there with her. Hey I'm talking to you. Middlebrooks?" He angrily grabs the chair she's in and twist it around she almost falls out of the chair. She was out cold. He dose tap and shout she's breathing but she wasn't waking up. He looks at the monitor into Angel's room and charges out the door.

Inside the room Angel lays on her back and Dr. Barns has one hand on her chest holding her down as he feels her stomach. She told him to stop and tried to get off the bed he pushed her back on it. She'd tried to swing on him and he'd wrestled her hands above her head and fastened her wrists to the rail with a wristband. "Calm down girl it'll all be over soon. I don't have to tell you not to tell anyone you're smarter than that. Besides who is more believable you or a trained respected doctor apart of one of the largest medical networks in the US?" He runs his hands down her torso and then cups her sex. "Better calm down I'd hate to have to sedate you like I did your doctor. You seem to be having trouble breathing." He stares at her for a time. He feels her jerk and move. Hearing the door beep quickly with one hand he undoes the strap that held her hands above her head and moves his hand from her private but not quickly enough. Luke, charges into the room grabs him away from her and slams the older man into the wall. Barns pushed him backwards Luke bent backwards matrix style and continues beating the shit out of a fellow doctor. "So this is what you do to patients that visit my fucking hospital."

Angel rubs her wrist and gets out of bed running down the hall she didn't care where. All she knew was she had to get out of here. He threatened to sedate her she'd fought the erg to cry. When she felt the hot sensation run through her she thought of her baby. When Barns cupped her sex she tried to buck his hand away. She tried closing her legs tightly but that made it worst he dung his nails into her. His words scared her, his actions repulsed her, she felt dirty. Jonathon comes out into the hall heading towards her room she runs and launches herself into his arms.

He had awaken and walked out into the hallway to find where everyone had gone to. He spots Angel running in her hospital gown, before he can even get out the question what's wrong she launched herself in his arms. He wraps her gown around her and starts to walk back down the hall where she came from. "Did you have a nightmare?"

She stops walking rubs her wrists and whispers "NO I was awake. I want to go home. " Her whole body shook but she was safe now she had to calm down.

"Honeypot you haven't been released."

Trying to do the breathing exercises Sophie showed her was helping. "I want to go home. I want to go home now." That was her mantra it was the only thing she wanted right now, was to go home, get away from this place. Jonathon hears what sounds like glass breaking. "TAKE ME HOME please" she looks her father in the eye.

Sophie and Joshua come out of Luke's office and all hell breaks loose. Disengaging from her father Angel runs to Joshua. He catches her and hugs her to him. She tells him she wants to go home not to his house not his parents' house but home. He asks her what happened in there. She looked glassy eyed. Sophie asked if they could at least go get her clothing out of the room. Angel says she would wait in one of the single female bathrooms. Joshua walks with her they find one better it was a single unisex bathroom. Walking in they hear security being paged.

He could tell she had been crying and she was fighting it now. She says she needs to sit down. "Calm down that's it take slower breathes in and out. Closing her eyes tightly, she tells him to please stop talking for a second. They sit in Simi silence with her deep breathing and shuddering. Except when she'd hugged him she hugged her self. "Babe please don't close me out" he takes her hand in his. He jumps to his feet when he sees the bruising around her wrist. A knock sounds on the door. Joshua yells with the anger he felt "WHO IS IT?" Sophie identified herself. He lets her in.

"I couldn't get in your room there was a whole security team in that one room. What happened Angel? Lucky dad packed you something that you left over to the house when you were helping him wash down the walls at his new place." Angel puts on the clothing throwing the gown in the trash. "Luke is coming he just texted me. He said you may need medical attention."

Luke knocks on the door. He couldn't meet her eyes. "Angel he will be fired and fined." Luke has a flashback of Angel running around his father's office after him and Sophie he wanted his childhood friend back. This woman that stood before him with his career in her hands looked on the verge of tears.

She stares at him taking another breath and pushing it out slowly as she could muster she says "Lucas" he tells her to please call him Luke she shakes her head no. "He claimed he sedated Dr. Middlebrooks. Can you please do me a favor that only you can?" he says name it and it's hers. He puts out a hand to move her hair out of her face. She jerks away from him. "Without, touching me, sign my release papers. Give me his contact information and don't say you can't." He tells her consider it done he asks her will she please come to his office. "Only, if someone comes with me." She touches her stomach she needed a shower.

Sophie, Joshua and Jonathon walk with her into Luke's office he is the last one in. Someone knocks on his door. Joshua opens the door and he and Jonathon are surprised to see Middlebrooks standing in the doorway. She saw the anger in Joshua's eyes. She looked at Angel and tried for a conversational tone but it broke. "Angel I'm so sorry."

Sophie puts up both pointer fingers in the air. "OKAY somebody needs to start explaining and now. What the fuck happened in that damn room?"

Anger fueled Angel's tongue "THAT'S it ONE MORE PERSON ASK WHAT HAPPENED AND I AM GOING TO SCREAM!" Angel stands in the middle of the floor and tells them all what happened from the time that Joshua was told to leave or security would be called until Lucas came in and probably saved her from being she couldn't say raped. She told them of her fight back, escape attempts, and how they backfired and just got her pushed back on the bed, with her hands trapped above her head. She turns on Luke "From now on Joshua is not only one of my medical contacts he is also to be placed as one of my liaisons. I don't want to be in the room with a strange doctor alone ever again."

Luke says "Completely understandable I will have the changes made by noon tomorrow. As for your release papers I sent them to your phone." She looks alarmed then sighs when Joshua pulls her phone off her own belt clip that he had attached to his pants and hands it to her. She turns it back on accepts and e-signs the release papers sends them to Luke's phone. When Joshua first got to the room before leaving in the med helicopter he clipped her phone to his belt.

They arrived home via Ivey transit Limo. It was 8pm Sophie suggested they barbeque. "You guys go ahead I'm going to take a shower" That was the most Angel said since her outburst in Luke's office. Sophie had asked for her phone. She'd opened the call log and slid the phone across hers the Image of the call icon now was on Sophie's phone. "I didn't record when they called." Sophie hands her back her phone and tells her that Robert had some program that could grab the transmission trace, track, and listen. Angel just nods Jonathon steps in her path to the house she looks up at him. He just hugs her she hugs him back mumbles something then pulls away and walks on into the house.

Jonathon sighs, making eye contact with Joshua who walks in the house behind Angel. "I'll be just down the road if she needs meh." He hands his Grandville South address to Sophie and walks out of the gate. Jonathon walks to the side of the road and just starts running he just needed to get out some of the pent up anger and aggression. As he runs down the hill he sees Candy in her yard and tries to cross the street. She waves at him. He imagined he was kind of hard to miss standing at 6'8 and almost 300 pounds. He waves back and runs on past her house.

He waved back but he looked completely irate. She runs out of her yard and soon runs alongside him. "Want to talk about it?" She says trying to keep up with his longer stride. "I know this is Grandville South but it's late at night you shouldn't be out here alone."

Jonathon looks down at his talent and says "I don't wish to be rude to you Candy but just go home." With the way he felt if someone jumped out of a dark place he'd probably rip their heads from their shoulders, and just keep running. He sprints ahead of her and turns into his yard. Slamming the gate that bounced back open he goes into the house.

Candy stops on the way back to her house. She dials Angel's phone it went straight to voicemail. She hangs up and dials Joshua his goes to voicemail, so he wouldn't think it was an emergency she leaves a message. She couldn't remember whether he and Angel were to return the 4th or the 5th no one was answering their phone so she went home and finished plucking her strawberries.

Chase and Bobby are at the Corrigan building. His former partner, though Corrigan had sold the business he'd agreed to run it while Chase trained someone to take over since he wasn't coming to run it himself. They stand in the massive darkened doorway. They had been cleared to enter. The building was trashed more than damaged. The structure was secure enough for them to walk in. The construction was a base of fire steel and titanium the outer surface was marble and brick but the fire had started in one of the charity offices. Mostly the windows had blown out and things inside the offices had melted. Chase walks through the halls to what was the original location of the fire. Suddenly Bobby grabs him and pulls him back before he steps in a hole that was where the filling cabinet melted into the floor you could see the melted pop can looking cabinet laying on the frame through the hole but it looked like a nasty drop. "Watch it Chase."

Chase shakes his head "This is where it all started I'm not sending Sophie here. I recommended a person that has worked for me for years. Corrigan is in the Hospital he could have been killed. If it has anything to do with the call placed to my daughter I'm going to make the fuckers pay."

"Dad we lost daylight awhile back, it's time to go. We'll come back tomorrow morning there is no sense in staying right now. Visibility is almost totally gone. Were gonna need my phone's flashlight just to get back to the front door and my phone's running out of juice quickly." Chase numbly lets Bobby guide him back to the front door.

Bobby drives to the house it was a cottage style covered in cobblestone. This was (Chase William Ivey)Chase's father's home when he moved here in the service so many years ago and brought his wife Chase's mother (Nana Barnett) and his young son Chase William the second. The running joke was that when Chase got mad he was back to Chase Willie the little street tough before he moved overseas and came back wanting to be called his proper name Chase William Ivey Jr. No one ended up calling him Jr. His dad passed shortly after going back to the states. They kept the house here for business trips. Chase had brought Sophia here a few times. Both of his parents were buried here because this was their home for so many years. When Nana was angry she used to tell Bobby that she regretted coming back to the states. When they made the trek back to the US her world fell apart within a year her husband died years later after Chase adopted him she once told him that he gave her someone to talk to while Chase was away courting Sophia. A violent rush runs through Bobby. His father had married his Nana's murderer. Bobby gets out of the car and slams the door. He came here when they sent Nana's body here. For the longest time he couldn't speak to Chase without getting angry. When Chase moved that bitch Sophia into Ivey Mansion his Nana's home. Bobby went wild Sex, Drugs, and Drinking. It was all a distraction until he almost drove through Grandville Park he would have made it if the fountain hadn't stopped him. Luckily he hadn't hit anyone and his airbag deployed saving him from being thrown from the car. He'd seen Sophia and tried to run her over. When he found out that Sophia wasn't even in the country he checked into a rehab facility in Pyramid.

Chase came to the facility and threw cold water on his anger for a time when he pointed out that no one knew what happened and that though Bobby had knew Nana for a few years he told Bobby to imagine Nana being his mother and then her dying shortly after his father. That was the first time Bobby witnessed his adopted father crying. Chase went on to tell him that if he kept up with his self-destructive ways he'd succeed and be no better than the man Chase had fought so hard to get him away from. Before Chase left that night he hugged Bobby and told him to please not leave him as well. Bobby turned his life in a new direction a lot of good it was doing him now. He was still suspended because of that bitch. Bobby walks in the far back of the property climbed over the gate and sat with his back against Nana's tombstone (a huge white marble cross) with his head down.

His phone rings it played a clip of Angel singing the cover for (When I am Queen originally By Jack off Jill) His sister the only official offspring of Chase and Sophia's union. He was so thankful that Sophie was nothing like her mother. "You guys back already? How's everything going? They WHAT? Look, I don't have a lot of juice and I don't want it cut you off in midsentence I'm going to charge my phone what is it around 9pm there? I'll call you back. After I get this thing plugged in." Bobby gets to his feet and almost decks Chase. When he got to his feet and turned to climb back over the fence Chase was standing in the way and surprised him.

Chase didn't flinch he just stepped back he'd been about to announce his presence when Bobby popped to his feet and turned to him drawing back and then dropping his fist in that split second when recognition dawned. "I was coming to tell you. I can't stay here after all that has gone on. There is one thing to be here with the spirit of my father but it is just not in me to stay here right now. I thought I had dealt with this. My father was the general but my mother was my best friend." Chase's eyes water as he looks at the large white cross that marked the final resting place of his mother. "I can't even say I wish I had of never met Sophia because without her there would be no Sophie or Angela. I'm so sorry son. I had no idea how depraved Sophia was. I thought I was saving this other lonely soul, this small town girl from her big city low life cheating husband. Now that I have found out all the stuff she lied about, I wonder if she ever loved me, or was our marriage a long con and I just her mark. Was I simply a fucking flag to wave in her first husband's face?"

He first felt guilty because of the relief he felt that Sophia was dead. Bobby tells him if they were leaving he had to charge his phone. "Fine" Chase remained standing mere feet away from the marker. Sophia had tried to take everyone he cared for away from him in many different ways. He remembered rushing his mother to Lucas Sheldon Sr. back then, he didn't know what happened. Sighing he looks at his mother's name then, up to the heavens. "You're who I owe the largest apology to. I'm so sorry momma. I wasn't there to save you from my bad choice. I tried but you were already gone. She tried to send all of my children up there with you before their time. Since I'm the one that brought Sophia into our family when I do die I'll be heading to hell. If I never see you again I'll know my fear was truth." Closing his eyes tilting his face upward as the dark London rain started to fall which reflected his mood.

Walking back outside Bobby stops when he heard his father's anguish and wanted so much to say something but he had no words. Chase saved his life from his birth parents and from himself. He'd saved Sophie, his miracle child. He raised Angel he'd raised them all. After he got out of the hospital he even tried in his own business way, to if not befriend him he built a bridge between him and Jonathon for the sake of Angel, the woman he called his oldest girl. They were both getting soaked and he didn't need Chase coming to a different country getting sick. Bobby walks behind his father grabs him turning him around Chase elbowed him. Bobby ignored the apology and hugged his father. They soon collect their things and turn out the lights in the little house that sat all alone. When they drive away Chase looks out the window just in time to see a falling star. He wished for peace and safety for his family.

They stay at a hotel and Bobby finally gets the whole story from Sophie as he sits in the desk chair. "Tell Angel this will be dealt with. Yeah send me the transmission thanks Sophie." She asked how they were doing. "We haven't found anything as far as a person to link it to. The office that was set on fire was used to deal with Charity groups. Yeah I better go make sure he hasn't fallen asleep we're both beat. I'll call you when I wake in the morning." Bobby goes to the bathroom door and knocks "Pop you okay in here?" He knocks harder putting his head to the door he still didn't hear anything. He turns the knob, walks in and sighs, snoring can be heard. Sitting on the bath chair fully clothed, Chase sat with his head resting on the wall. Bobby shakes him he opens his eyes then closes them. "Come on dad let's get you into bed." Once Chase is finally in his bed Bobby walks back into the bathroom looking at his reflection in the mirror. Pressing his head against the cool glass he takes a deep breath. After a quick shower he is too everything, to sleep. He decodes the transmission, so he could listen to the call that sent his little sister into the hospital. Something catches his attention about the speech pattern. He hit the internet he'd worked a case that involved a black market adoption organization. A woman had escaped but her and 22 other women had been kidnapped out of the Houston and Grandville area none of the 22 had been found. They all went missing in their 8th month of pregnancy. If this person was the head of that group and he caught them the question would be, would he turn them in or end them? The sun was coming up before he finally went to bed.

Angel thought she could stop before she felt burning she scrubbed with the brush as her movements became more frantic tears stung her eyes. Auditory illusions of Dr. Barns assaulted her. Joshua walked into the shower fully clothed and snatched the brush out of Angel's hand. She tried to grab it back and he told her he wasn't going to let her rip her skin to hell. She'd screamed at him that she just wanted to feel clean. He got so pissed off he yelled at her that he wasn't giving her the fucking brush back. To accentuate his point he broke it in half and threw it out of the shower all together. Hearing the wood snap was it, she broke down crying. He was mad at her and she just knew she wouldn't get to get the creepy ass doctor's touch off her skin. He left the shower. She sat on the floor under the hot spray, hugging herself, rocking. When he reentered the shower he was naked. Saying nothing he holds up a bath puff. She took it from him he reached down pulled her to her feet hugging her to him. She tells him that was the longest he'd made contact with her since she'd said what happened. He says he was giving her space and asked her did she want contact. She says yes. He took the bath puff, washed her and then made love to her in the shower. He then took their dance into the bedroom.

Hours later Angel changed into a dark gown she now sat at her makeup table staring at her reflection. The only sound in the room was Joshua lightly snoring she had laid in the bed long after they'd finished making love but she couldn't get to sleep for more than a few minutes. She'd drift off but an old dream with new players would plague her.

Joshua reaches over touches cool sheet and bolts up in bed. When he spots her he sighs and gets up. "Babe you need sleep" she tells him she just couldn't get to sleep. He looks at the clock it was just past midnight. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to grab you something from the kitchen?" She shakes her head no saying Sophie had brought them up some food. Joshua asked would she sit with him while he ate. They move to the little round table at the foot of the bed. He tells her that his parents were driving her truck down. "How will they get back? I could have just had the transit service bring it back. "

He says "My dad has been trying to get here to see what I've done to his house and the club for himself. My mother came to the hotel the night all hell broke loose." He cleared his throat he was still pissed that someone had used him as a reason for her to listen to their fucking bullshit. "She just wants to see you. Cassandra is going to be driving their car." Angel looks alarmed saying she didn't know how this was going to sound but just like he didn't want to stay under the same roof with Cass she didn't want another Megan situation on her hands. "That shit isn't even an option, Cass got one wrong thing to say to you and if mom doesn't get to her first I'll send her out of here, on her ass." Angel says Sally and Michael can stay overnight but Cass will have to find somewhere else to be for the night whether she says anything or not. Joshua takes her hand "Thanks for the offer, but I'll just lock my music room and my parents and Cass can stay at my place. I mean it's the least I can do considering it's their house or was whatever." Joshua was hungrier than he thought but he hadn't eaten anything since lunch. He then noticed that there was only one dirty plate on the table, it was his. He shoots Angel a glance. "Please tell me this wasn't your dinner."

She didn't feel like fighting with him. "Joshua, please just eat. I ate the steamed carrots your son likes sweet veggies. He really wasn't feeling the barbequed chicken or steak. I'm kind of scared to try the potato with sour cream because of the fiasco with the taco, and I don't like them without it."

He looks at the Pyrex dish the carrots were in he'd wondered what was in there. He knew he'd eaten fast but he couldn't remember taking anything from the bowl but it was empty. So knowing Sophie had sent it up, he knew there were at least two servings in there. "Fair enough, sweet veggies huh." He sits back then pops out of his seat "I got something for you I almost forgot. I kept my promise." He roots through his guitar case and comes out with a stiff piece of paper handing it to her he says "If you start laughing it goes back in the guitar case."

Angel turns the aged cardstock over and her breath catches. It was a picture of him, his hair was down his back he stood in the middle of a pool with someone over his head. He had that forced smile on his face. "Two questions who were you about the dunk in the water? From the look on your face they were about to get wet. My other question is how old were you?"

"I know, you're not supposed to give your girl a picture of yourself with another female in it, but you asked for a younger picture. As for how old I was 12. This was before Brad and Cass decided to try to baptize my ass out the window. I figured this would count since you said a younger picture because it was before I met you. The female believe it or not is my mother. We have this game we used to play when I first learned how to swim. Michael picked me up and threw me in the pool and said he was Jaws like the shark. It's almost like tag but in the water. This was taken by Michael he had no idea I could lift her I didn't dunk her after the picture was taken I just sank in the water until she got her footing and then I swam away before she could "Jaws" or dunk me." She stared at it saying nothing. Her quiet scrutiny made him uncomfortable. He rubs the back of his neck and spoke to fill the silence. "I really don't have any younger pictures. It was a bitch finding that one." When she gets up and grabs the giant picture book she turns to a page and places his photo in it next to a picture of her sitting on the roof of her old house. "Okay, why were you sitting on the roof, and who took the picture?"

"My friend took the picture. She was into photography and since we used to hang out there, she wanted a picture of me doing shit we did together. She was standing on her balcony that's why the picture is a straight shot. Not from an upward or downward angle. She said if she stood on the ground and shot upwards since she was not that good at zooming in I'd look like the 50 foot woman. This was the year we moved but it was also before we met. I think like 3 weeks before Middle school started."

He says "That reminds me our son's window is to be locked at all times. What possessed you to start hanging out on the roof? I'd do a lot of shit with you but standing on the roof, no real friend would tell you that was a good hang spot. Which one of your merry little girlfriends thought this was a brilliant idea? I just want to know who to delete from any chance at babysitting" He would have asked what parent lets their kid just chill on the roof but Sophia didn't give a shit. He did wonder where the hell Chase was when she was on the roof. The reflective smile left her face as she turned the page pressing the back of the page so the adhesive would stick to his picture.

Angel noted the tinge of anger in his tone. "I agree with you about locking the window. I already love our son and I wouldn't do anything to make him want to hide from me. When the GSSEC would come over Sophia would "ground" me for nothing and lock me in my own closet or the basement whichever was closest when the doorbell rang. A few times I tried to be extra good, but it never failed. She once grounded me because there wasn't enough food left on my plate. I was afraid of the dark and I didn't like total silence. I guess she got drunk and fell asleep one night because she left my ass in the basement. That night, I song to myself until I fell sleep, when the door opened the next morning I about knocked Chase down trying to get out." He gets up and holds out his hand when she gets up he guides her back to the bed and tells her to continue. He starts giving her a massage. "I ran across the street to my at the time friend Evie's. She suggested the roof. Sophia could lock all the windows but outside there was at least noise and light even at night. If I just hung out in the yard she could get to me I wasn't going back in that damn basement. Evie pointed out that Sophia wasn't going to come out on that roof. So when the GSSEC would come over if I was home I was on the roof. She never caught me and since I wasn't in her way, or around her friends she didn't care. Chase flipped out when he rode up and saw me. That was my first meeting with Chase Willie instead of Chase William." Angel smiled at the memory. As she looked in the mirror and watched Joshua rubbing her back as she lay on her side. "I saw him and had just climbed back in my window when he came barging in my door grabbed, me yelling at me to stay off his darn roof. I begged him not to tell on me and he agreed that wasn't necessary. We took a drive. I told him why I was out there. He told me that Sophia probably would not have come out there, but she may have did something overly dramatic like call the cops. We went for lunch when we returned he made me help him secure my window. He's a great business man but he'll never be a carpenter, he almost broke the window." Joshua asked did she ever get locked in the basement again since she no longer had access to the roof. He looked pissed. When he moved his hand up to her shoulder she touched his fingers her silent sign telling him he was getting heavy handed. He told her to turn over they now lay facing each other. "Ever since I told Chase what was going on, when he knew the grouping as he called them were going to gather, he made sure to have a project for Sophie and me to do outside of the house. Then school started and I met you. The time I came over to your place was Chase getting me out of the house." Joshua plays with a strand of her hair and asks is that why their first date or at least he thought of it as one was spent at Ivey Towers driving Chase's secretary up the wall. She laughs "So that's why you bathed in your dad's cologne. Chase had to open the window on the way to his office." he says Chase had pulled him aside and told him less was more. "That was the first year I found the Night Blooming Jasmine scent." He said he remembered the scent, covering his mouth to hide a yarn. She runs her finger across his lips and traces his chin strap. Leaning forward she kisses him. "Get so more sleep babe."

He pulls her closer and lays on his back she lays her head on his chest he wraps his arm around her. "That's a good plan for all three of us." He says as he rubs her belly. "My sweet-vegie eating son needs sleep and so does his mom and pop." She closes her eyes places her hand on his on her belly and starts humming. He'd got used to her doing that they soon drift off to sleep.

**Authors note: I want to give special to my first online reviewer of this story_ Darlene Scot_t. I also want to thank my sistas without you girls I would have no story. Please feel free to read and review. : End Note**


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